FORgiven : A PostKHii Story
by Blink Eruraviel
Summary: [remake] Sin is inside you.  The eyes that peer into your heart.  And in the Clocktower, it is that Sin that is your greatest enemy. [solojourney]
1. Clocktower Tempest

**Eru's Note:** This is actually a remake of an old fanfiction. I changed the name (and then forgot the old name), but the first few chapters should be pretty familiar.

I didn't like the way the old one was heading, because it got pretty confusing as to who-went-where and things like that. D; So I gave up on that, re-did it and - after a lot of refining - here is the finished part.

Enjoy it

* * *

**Act I **

_**clocktower tempest**_

Sora thought he was going to die, as he laid there on the floor. Face-up, he felt pain course through his body and blood gush out of it. The crimson liquid felt warm on his fingers, but he hadn't the strength to move.

He could hear Kairi's voice, calling out to him. "Sora! Please," she sobbed, "don't leave. Don't leave us alone again!" yet he couldn't see her face, or the tears that were rolling down it. In the background, he could hear chill laughter, and the cries of Riku and Naminé. He couldn't hear Roxas, but he somehow knew. Roxas was disappearing ...

Would he disappear, too?

"_Help me adjust this one,_

_All I need right, since utter sweet love_

_Ten-year old would send ya a hero,_

_In you, it would end, endlessly,_

_In you, suddenly it's a real planet, oh,_

_In you ..._

"_Help me adjust this one,_

_All I need right, since utter sweet love_

_Ten-year old would send ya a hero,_

_In you, it would end, endlessly,_

_In you, suddenly it's a real planet, oh,_

_In you ..._

"_Hug it, then let go_

_Stay!_

_Stay and sleep ..._

_It would begin the planet of -_

_Eternity of Memories_

_Why won't he of Evil cease?_

_Just seeing, Riku was moving,_

_Now, they are all moving,_

_Whoa!_

"_He was like you, my savior,_

_He noticed me_

_Under the sun, oh,_

_Tell them all - "Natural"_

_All the mutual right of him,_

_Could offer,_

_In you, I had your desires, no?_

_Furthermore, we had one ..._

"_In your arms, is me,_

_In your heart ... I can't be there_

_Myth that I lost_

_The Kingdom's Greed ..."_

**- fifteen days before -**

A girl was waiting on the shores.

Standing there anxiously, with a worried look in her blue eyes. She kept shifting in her spot, digging the toe of her lavender and white boots into the sand, the sea wind gently moving the strings tied above her ankles. She would move her arms from behind her to in front of her, and then back again. Sometimes, she would play with the silver and gold bracelets on one of her wrists, or adjust the open-zipped pink dress that she wore or the purple pouch resting on her hip. When the wind would play, it would toy with her shoulder-length red tresses and the blue hoodie resting on her shoulder-blades, connected to a white tank-top.

But she never took her eyes off the water.

Behind her, the jade leaves of coconut and palm trees were in full bloom on the small island. She stood at the edge, close enough without being touched by the warm waters that rushed up and down the shores. Behind her was a thicket of old clubhouses and even older trees, intertwined to become a single mess. The haphazard bridges were uneven and the ladders appeared to be weakening. In the distance, over the salty ocean, there could be seen the magenta outline of a city.

A light caught her eyes and she looked up – a shooting star. Two! She smiled and turned over her shoulder, and said, "They're coming!" brightly to seemingly no one. She quickly looked back and watched as the shooting stars fell out of the sky and landed with a loud _slap!_ into the ocean.

It was only revealed then that they were not stars, but boys: Teenage boys at the ages of fifteen and sixteen.

After a few seconds, they burst from beneath the waters, gasping for air. Both appeared to be of Japanese descent, with angled faces and almond-shaped eyes. The younger of the two had spiky hair, colored dark brown, hazel, brown and dirty blond. All of it stuck out in odd directions, weighed down by the water and plastered to his face, over blue eyes. The dying sun reflected off the silver crown-shaped pendent of his throat, but the rest of his clothes were hidden by the ocean.

The older had darker skin, and long, white hair that ended in spikes, weighed down by the water. His blue-green eyes almost couldn't be seen except as jewels, peering out between the strands of his lengthening bangs.

As both gasped for air, they heard the girl's call. "Sora! Riku!" her name echoed in the distanced, bouncing off the waters. Both turned and grinned, seeing her bounce in her spot and wave her arm eagerly.

At once, both boys set off and began to swim quickly for her and the shore that she stood on. Neither hardly noticed the water that weighed down their clothes, barely glimpsed in the waters. The brunet was faster than his white-haired friend, and soon made it to shallower waters. He quickly jumped to his feet, watering pouring out of the folds of his clothes, and trudged through the knee-deep waters.

His clothes were revealed: A navy blue tank-top, and a black and white t-shirt hoodie, with metallic shoulders. His pants were baggy, weighed down with water, and stopped right below the knee. They were held up with a yellow and red belt, and similar belts were strapped to his thighs, holding up red pouches on either one. His shoes were black and yellow boots, seemingly too large for him, though he walked through them just fine. On his hands were black and yellow fingerless gloves, and that silver pendent at his throat.

Behind him, the older of the two reached the shallower waters and stood up, walking through the waters behind the brunet. His clothes were simpler: A partially unzipped black tank-top, under a yellow vest. His baggy pants were a light cotton blue, and his sneakers were striped gray, white and black with orange laces. On one hand was a pale yellow wristband.

The girl giggled, when two more silhouette's burst from behind her. One was a very large, white-feathered duck, with short yellow legs and wide, webbed feet. He was dressed in a blue and purple sweater, bearing many zippers and pockets, with gold bracelets on his wrists. On his head was a plain, floppy blue hat and he carried a gnarled, wooden staff with a tiny, pointed purple hat at the top.

The other was a lanky, tall dog, carrying a small multi-colored shield and a large mouse-shaped insignia in the center. On his head was a yellow hat and a pair of goggles, from beneath his ears drooped, framing his face. He was dressed in a green turtleneck sweater and a navy vest, and white gloves on his hands. His pants were yellow shorts that stopped some inches above his ankle, and his shoes were floppy boots colored tan.

Both were grinning, and the brunet yelled out in surprise before they tackled him, splashing water everywhere. The three were laughing, soaked, as though they hadn't seen each other in a long time.

A third figure emerged from beyond the girl, this time a short, black mouse with wide eyes and even wider, round ears. He was dressed in a black and white t-shirt and a pair of red pants, white gloves on his hands and golden shoes. He wasn't carrying a weapon, but ran into the water and jumped the white-haired boy, who caught him, grinning.

As the reunions were over, the red-haired girl and the brunet looked up at each other, grinning. The boy reached into his pocket and brought out a charm: Five shells tied into the shape of a star, with a smiling face at the stop. When he looked up, he became someone else, just for an instant.

The boy's hair shortened and became side-swept, a light blond color, but his blue eyes and baby-face were the same. His clothes changed with it: Into a white and black-bordered t-shirt, unbuttoned over a dark olive shirt, and his pants changed into a pair of baggy light olive and dark olive pants. His shoes became flat black and dark olive sneakers with red laces; the gloves were replaced with a black and white ring on two of his fingers. The pendent disappeared.

The girl changed as well, her red hair becoming blond hair flipped over one shoulder. Her dress became a short, white nightgown stopping above her knees, and her boots became cyan sandles, dotted with golden stars.

And in that instant, both were gone, back to their former selves.

"W-we're back," the boy said.

The girl held out her hand to help him from the waters. "You're home," she said.

The boy grinned and held up his hand, pressing the star between his and hers.

**-xxx-**

The group was now standing on the shores of the beach. Nearly everyone was still damp, and the ocean winds weren't making it any easier. The chill air slapped against their wet clothes, making them feel frozen. The skies had died with the sun, becoming darker. But there were many stars out, and the moon, which all shone brightly, illuminating patches on the suddenly pale sand.

The brown-haired boy stood with his friends against the other three. Sora, Riku and Kairi, the two boys that had fallen from the sky and the girl that had waited for them. Before them, were the other three. His Majesty, King Mickey, stood in the center. Donald Duck stood to his left, holding his staff, and Sir Goofy stood to his right, holding his shield loosely.

A small cricket had popped out of the folds of Donald's jacket and was now sitting on his head: Jiminy Cricket was this cricket's name! A bright but small fellow, dressed in a top hat, a black overcoat, and a pair of tan shoes. Between them wove a yellow dog with black ears and a long, slender black tail. Pluto, the canine, wore a red collar much too big for his scrawny neck, but his tongue hung out and his tail was wagging rapidly; a sign of affection and mourning at the same time.

The time had come that the group would be parting.

Sora had a frown on his face under his matted, spiky brown hair. "Do you _really_ have to go?" he asked. "I mean, it's late. We could all crash together, and you can leave tomorrow!" he said.

King Mickey shook his head, water running down the folds of his short red pants. "Sorry, Sora. But our time has come. And Disney Castle is waiting for us to return too. I don't wanna make Queen Minnie worry anymore than she already has."

Sora hung his head; he inwardly agreed with King Mickey.

"But we'll be coming back soon," Goofy said quickly, "a-hyuck! Just because our adventure's over doesn't mean we'll never see each other again!"

Donald nodded; Jiminy clutched his hat to stay on his head. "Of course! As soon as everything settles down at the Castle, we'll come back here for a visit," he squawked.

"Hai," Riku nodded, "and we'll be waiting for you here. We've got our own lives to catch up on," he said.

"But try to stay longer next time we see you," Kairi said, "I know Sora-kun will be missing you guys a lot," she said and looked over at Sora.

Sora looked up at them, and stretched his arms above his head, then folded them behind it. "Hai! I guess there's no stopping you, so we'll see you the next time you come!" he said in a falsely cheery voice.

Pluto barked and sat down next to King Mickey, then cocked his head to one side, looking up at Sora.

"Well then, I suppose it's time we left, isn't it?" Jiminy asked, looking to the horizon. "It's already getting dark!"

"We should hurry then, or else everyone will be asleep when we arrive," King Mickey said.

King Mickey glanced at Donald, who understood the silent message. He held out his staff-arm and pointed the golden bracelet on his wrist up to the sky. With white feathers, he pressed a tiny jewel on it and it began to flash a small red glow. At that moment, the sky above them shifted, faint wisps of clouds began to part as a star moved towards them. The small beam of light shifted in the sky, flying towards its destination.

"Send us a message that you got home safe, okay?" Sora told them.

The group nodded. Jiminy beamed, "Of course, Sora! But it'll be so late when we get there, don't mind if it takes a couple days," and laughed.

The star had reached its destination and hovered above Destiny Islands. It then sank lower to the ground, drawn in by the small planet's gravity. Soon, the star revealed itself not to be a star – but a ship. A very large ship, with a bubble-shaped windshield at the very top. The white wings were small, and the rockets at the back blazed with blue-red heat. The body was made up of brightly-colored orange and yellow blocks. Gummi Blocks, to be precise. In the windshield danced two little chipmunks, each wearing yellow aprons. Chip and Dale, the ship's engineers.

Behind the group, there appeared a green spot. More like a platform, which pulsated in yellow-green waves and was rimmed in flames of the same color. It dropped down directly below the Gummi Ship. King Mickey, Donald (with Jiminy on his head) and Goofy walked over to the circle and stood there. Goofy called over Pluto and the yellow dog happily bounded over to them.

"See ya later!" King Mickey waved, and the trio followed suit. A green light washed over the five and they vanished – the flames and circle along with them.

Minutes later, Donald and Goofy joined Chip and Dale in the window and began to wave down at the three. Sora stepped forward, both arms above his head. The ship kicked to life once again and rose higher in the air. It changed direction so they could no longer see the four, and the rockets blazed wildly. With a few seconds, the Gummi Ship rocketed off through the clouds and became a disappearing star in the sky.

Sora continued to wave, even after they were gone. "Ja ne," he said quietly.

**-xxx-**

Not long afterwards, the trio decided to head home. Home; that was what Sora missed. His comfortable bed and his mother's cooking. He tucked his hands behind his head as they walked towards the docks. The island was completely separate from the town, but there was a dock where the boats were tied up.

Looking around, past the rickety bridges and old clubhouses and many trees, Sora realized that there wasn't many differences since he had last seen it. "It sure hasn't changed much here," Sora said.

"You would be surprised," Kairi said, "Destiny Islands hasn't changed, but the people have. Now that I think about it."

"A whole year has passed," Riku said, "of course the people have changed. Speaking of which, that brings up certain problems. Like ... what's our excuse for disappearing for a whole year?" he asked.

Sora shrugged and lowered his hands. "If we have to, we'll think of something," he recited.

Riku smirked. _He_ had been the one to say that, over a year ago.

"Oh!" Kairi said suddenly and stopped. Sora and Riku followed suit once they saw why she had stopped: A figure had appeared before them; a young girl, who had once appeared already.

She only appeared to be fourteen, with small shoulders and a heart-shaped face. Her blond hair was flipped over one shoulder and her ocean-blue eyes were focused intently upon the trio. She was dressed in a thin-strapped night-gown, stopped above her knees and rimmed with lace. Her sandles were cyan, dotted with small golden stars. All three could see through the center of her, but the edges of her body, her fingers and feet were solid.

"Naminé," Riku said.

Naminé smiled in response. _"I'm ... relieved to see that you both made it home,"_ she said, tilting her head slightly.

Sora blinked, his mouth agape. He was surprised to her just ... materialize out of thin air like that. "Matte," he said after a moment, "you're ..."

_"You probably don't remember me,"_ she said, _"but we've met once before. But I come here not because of the past, but for the present. For helping me out so much, I was hoping I could help you. With the memories of the towns-folk."_

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked.

Riku looked from Naminé to Kairi. "Naminé is a ... witch, so to speak. She manipulates and creates memories." he explained.

Kairi nodded. "Oh ... I had no idea," she said.

_"I can change the memories of the towns-folk, so they forgot that Riku and Sora had ever left them,"_ Naminé explained. _"It's the least I can do."_

"You can do all that? Really?" Sora asked.

Naminé nodded.

"Cool!" Sora gasped. "But wouldn't it take you a really long time? Where would we go?" he asked.

Naminé shook her head. _"Iie, it would only take me a night. I'm sure you guys can think of something. You've been through worse, ne?"_ she asked gently.

"Our own families would require a lot of explaining," Riku said and threw an arm around Kairi's shoulders, "why don't we stay at your place for the night?"

Kairi blushed. "Ano ... I-I think you might be able to," she said after a pause, "oh! We could stay up all night watching movies and eating popcorn!" she said brightly, then giggled.

Sora inched closer to Kairi. "Why are you blushing?" he asked suspiciously.

Her cheeks darkened to a deeper shade of magenta. "Ah! Sora!" she complained loudly.

Naminé smiled gently, watching as they teased each other so. _"Okay, so it's settled. We'll start to work on the memories tonight. I should have it done by tomorrow."_

Sora watched as she began to disappear. "Naminé, matte!" he said, but it was too late – she had already disappeared. He sighed. _'I wanted to thank her,'_ he thought.

**-xxx-**

Kairi was the adoptive daughter of a politician. As for who her real father was, none of them knew and Kairi couldn't remember, but when she fell to Destiny Islands at the age of five, she was adopted by Destiny Island's then-Mayor. He was a big man, very strict and decisive and didn't give in to arguments very easily. Which made him such a great Mayor, but he had recently retired before Sora and Riku disappeared. However, the cameras lingered around, so when they approached the two-story house to find the front lawn deserted, the boys were rather surprised.

The former Mayor was surrounded by cameras almost constantly. In fact, somewhere on the Internet, there was a documentary of one of the Mayor's speeches that was rudely interrupt by six-year old Sora belching his alphabet for the cameras.

The house was a big two-story house with four bedrooms. One was for the Mayor and Kairi's step-mom, the second was for her, but the other two had been converted into a study room and a guest room. The kitchen and the living rooms were spacious, with pretty, expensive things decorating the house. A few windows were dark, but the living room window was lit up, signaling that someone was still awake when they approached the burnt orange house.

The front door opened to reveal the silhouette of a large man dressed in a button-up shirt and slacks, with a bushy brown beard and short brown hair. His watery blue eyes gazed down as Kairi, Sora and Riku walked up the sidewalks, with Kairi in the lead.

She breathlessly said, "Konban wa, Otoo-san!" as they stopped before the door.

"Kairi, I'm very disappointed in you," he lectured her, "you disappeared for _hours_ without calling us or notifying us of where you were or who you were with!" he said in a strict voice.

Kairi couldn't reply. The truth was that she had been kidnapped by Axel, a Nobody from Organization XIII. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell him that because he didn't know what Nobodies _were_. So she hastily shifted the subject to Sora and Riku. "You remember my friends, ne? Sora and Riku, I used to play with them. Is it alright if they stay the night?"

The former Mayor bristled. "Two boys spending the night with my daughter?" he asked. "And why should I trust you?"

Sora turned beet-red. "I-iie! We just wanted to camp out in the living room and watch a bunch of movies. Y'know ... _that_," he said, failing to come up with anything other than what Kairi had suggested earlier.

"I trust them," Kairi said, "nothing will happen. Promise!" she said.

**-xxx-**

It took a while for the former Mayor to give in to the idea of letting them stay over. Sora was very relieved too; he didn't want to have to go home and have his mother lecture him on disappearing for a whole _year_. All they needed was to lay low for a few hours. Thankfully (and Sora couldn't realize he was so happy) dark clouds rolled in and it started to pour. The man finally gave in when he saw the three being drenched and decided to take up Kairi's word, so he let the group inside to dry off.

The embarrassment didn't end there either. After they piled a bunch of blankets, pillows and a few sleeping bags for comfort in the living room, Sora and Riku were faced with their own wet clothes as an issue. Kairi suggested drying them off, but they had nothing to wear while their clothes were in the dryer. The only thing left for them was Kairi's pajama's; two pairs of shorts and tank-tops were handed out (Sora was, again, happy that Kairi didn't only sleep in nightgowns) and they changed. Sora immediately dove into the blankets, refusing to let anyone see the frilly pink shorts he was wearing while Kairi threw their wet clothes in the dryer.

Outside, lightning struck. A few seconds later, thunder boomed loudly. They could hear the rain pouring against the sides of the house and beating against the roof. As Riku put in a horror film, Sora said, "It sure is getting loud out there."

"The storm is pretty close," Riku said, "the lightning is near. Don't worry, as long as we don't go outside we'll be fine."

Another bolt. Another boom. Sora shivered. "Man, that lightning's freaking me out!" he said, clutching the blankets. "I wonder why," he said, pulling the blankets close.

Kairi giggled. "Don't worry, Sora-kun. I'll protect you from the lightning," she said playfully.

Sora blushed and tried to shoot her a dirty look, but it failed. He found it weird to treat Kairi the same way he treated Riku. She looked more ... delicate.

"I bet I know why," Riku said and then began to chant, "Heartless hero! Heartless hero!" in a high voice.

Sora scowled. "Aa, you had to remind me! And how do _you_ know that's what Larxene used to call me?" he asked.

Riku rolled his eyes. "I had a year to bum around the worlds all by myself. I learned a _lot_," he said as the movie began to play.

About the time the movie started and the TV lit up, an awful screeching noise came from outside. Like fingernails on a black board, but there were no trees to rake against the windows outside of the house. The color drained from Riku's face, and his eyes suddenly appeared darker, but Sora was looking at the window and didn't notice.

"Wh-what is that?" Sora shivered again.

"Probably nothing," Riku said after a moment. He stood up and walked over to the window, then looked outside behind the curtains. Sora and Kairi waited for him to come back, assuring them nothing was outside, but he didn't.

"Riku?" Sora asked and the two stood up. They joined him by the window as the awful screeching noise rang in their ears again.

As Sora looked outside, he wasn't sure, but he thought he saw something _moving_. A big black shape, but it was too dark and too far back for him to make out any detail of it. Sora's gaze was fixated on the shape, trying to make it out. So much so that he almost didn't hear Kairi say, "I don't see anything out there. I can't imagine what that sound would be."

After a very long pause, Riku said, "Well, that's enough sight-seeing. There's obviously nothing out there, so let's get back to the movie," and left the window.

Sora was the last to leave. He didn't want to tear his eyes away from the big black shape, but his friends called him over. As he sat down, he glanced at Riku's pale face and saw the expression on it. He felt, inside, that Riku had seen the same thing he did.

It wasn't until the next day that Sora discovered what it was. A Clocktower had moved into the neighborhood when the storm passed the next morning. The three got a good look at it as they were leaving for school (Kairi insisted). Sure enough, a dark-stoned Clocktower with four faces had appeared in the center of the town, almost literally. Sora had a sinking feeling _that_ was what the screeching noise was.


	2. Heartless Ensnarement

**Act II **

_**heartless ensnarement**_

It wasn't until the next day that Sora discovered what it was. A Clocktower had moved into the neighborhood when the storm passed the next morning. The three got a good look at it as they were leaving for school (Kairi insisted). Sure enough, a dark-stoned Clocktower with four faces had appeared in the center of the town, almost literally. Sora had a sinking feeling _that_ was what the screeching noise was.

**-xxx-**

Upstairs, Naminé sat in Kairi's room. Her form was still ethereal, but now there was a sketchbook place openly on her lap.

The door opened and a boy walked through; a boy who also appeared to be only fourteen years old, with a baby face and a slender frame. His blond hair was short, spiky and side-swept to one side of his face, as though he were being blown against the wind when there was none. He was dressed in a dark olive shirt underneath a white unbuttoned over-shirt, bordered with black and white checkered spots. His pants were dark olive at the waist with light olive leggings, held up with a dark belt. And his shoes were flat sneakers that still appeared to be new, a black and dark olive color with red laces. On his left index finger was a black ring and on his middle finger was a white ring. His sky-blue eyes were focused on the girl.

_"Roxas,"_ she said, smiling as he entered.

Roxas glanced around Kairi's room: The bed was layered with a deep magenta comforter and a frilly, pink bed skirt around the bottom of it. Stuffed animals were set in the shelves, with the closet doors closed. A waist-high dresser sat in one corner of the room, where a mirror was, and a desk was positioned under the window, where Naminé sat. Pictures decorated everything: A collage on the closet doors and bordering the mirror. Pictures of Kairi, Kairi and her family, Kairi and her friends. There was an out-standing amount of pictures that included her, Sora and Riku, but they were all at least a year old.

As he entered the room, the mirror did not reflect anything. To glance in the mirror was to see the bedroom without the people in it. Roxas sat on the bed; it did not sink with his weight, but stayed the same.

_"So the people here have forgotten that Sora and Riku ever left?"_ Roxas asked.

Naminé nodded. _"Hai,"_ then she looked at him, _"is that all you came to ask?"_

Roxas shook his head, blushed a little, and settled with staring at the floor and his sneakers. _"Ano, I ..."_

Naminé smiled. _"You don't have to say anything. We'll be spending the rest of their lives like this, we'll have plenty of time for speaking,"_ she said and went back to her pictures.

Roxas fell quiet. He wanted to ask her if she was alright with just being a ghost, but he didn't want to learn the answer. _'This is the fate of a Nobody,'_ he quietly thought.

**-xxx-**

That morning, Sora, Riku and Kairi would be late for school. Instead of going directly to the high school, they skipped and went to the heart of Destiny Islands: Downtown. Downtown Destiny Islands consumed most of the city, with the homes and residential areas lining the outside of it. Stores, malls and parks were all located Downtown, because it was so easy to make it to the center of the small town.

It took them half an hour on foot to make it to the looming Clocktower. They were surprised to see that no one thought it peculiar that a building had appeared right at the edge of the Destiny Islands park, the edge of which creeped out into the parking lot. The people all walked around the Clocktower, ignoring it and yet acknowledging it at the same time. By the time they reached the giant building, Kairi was out of breath and had a stitch in her side.

"Matte ..." she gasped, trailing along behind Sora and Riku.

Riku slowed down. "Hurry up," he called to her.

Kairi frowned at him. _'I am not the one who's been fighting Heartless all year. Geez, I am so out of shape!'_ she thought and struggled to hurry after them.

Eventually, they reached the Clocktower.

The Clocktower itself was a massive structure. The base was extremely wide and bore only two doors, side-by-side. The doors were a polished wood of unnameable type, although it was very dark, almost black. The centers were pointed, like the doors of a Cathedral, with stained-glass windows. The glass windows depicted the image of a rising sun casting over a dark land, but it obscured all chances of getting a look inside. The brass handles were bound together with chain, but no locks.

The building had no windows at all. It went straight up, curving from the wide base to a narrow top. It appeared to be made up of a very dark stone, colored like charcoal, but again, they knew not the type. Four faces showed at each side facing the North, East, West and South. The faces at the North, West and South all showed the correct time: 7:45 AM, at that moment. The face of the East however, was off by several hours, as it showed the time of 11:00 PM. In front of the clock-faces was a base, wide enough for a person to walk across, and at each corner there was a dark gargoyle with a mouth hanging wide open.

From the clocks, the building slimmed down even thinner and held four open windows (more like gaps, as there were no panes or sills), pointing North-east, North-west, South-east and South-west, slightly off from the clocks below. It was topped with a high-pointed roof of dark shingles, some of which were falling apart.

Weaving in between the stones was a sort of dark ivy, but it was none like Sora had seen. The ivy was _blue_, and pulsated faintly. It weaved up through all of the Clocktower, stopping at the clocks, and they couldn't see where it went to. When the ivy pulsated, it gave Sora a sense that the Clocktower was _moving_.

Riku kicked at the chain on the door handles. "Locked," he said finally.

"But there's no lock on them," Sora said, "My Keyblade is useless."

"Then it's obvious they don't want anybody to come inside," Riku said, "not until they're ready."

"Who?" Sora asked.

Riku shrugged. "Dunno."

Kairi gazed up at the Clocktower. It was enormous – at least thirteen or so stories high. "I wonder why something like this would suddenly appear."

At that moment, dark clouds began to roll in. The three turned away from the Clocktower and looked up at the sky, where they saw black clouds forming from seemingly nothingness. In an instant, the sunlight was blocked out and it became gray. An open curtain of rain fell upon them and the hapless heads of everyone else in the neighborhood. The raindrops fell hard and fast upon the three of them, who were completely caught unaware.

"Sure is rainy as of late," Sora said with his arms above his head, "isn't it?"

Kairi squealed and held her bag above her head to protect her from the rain. "It shouldn't be, though! It's summer," she said.

Sora grinned and tossed his head back. "Might as well enjoy it!" he said, sticking his tongue out.

Riku shook his head. "Changes in a second, guess that's something I forgot," he said, nearing the Clocktower to avoid most of the rain. "We should get to school before we miss anything else," he looked up at the Clocktower. School had started at least fifteen minutes before.

A drop of rain landed on Sora's tongue. He blinked and lowered his head. _'It tastes like ... salt,'_ he thought, _'like someones tears.'_

**-xxx-**

They made it to school to sit through the last twenty minutes of their first period. Naminé had completely erased everyones memories of Sora and Riku ever leaving; and while the two greeted everyone else as though they hadn't seen each other in a long time, the rest of the student population 'remembered' seeing them the prior day or before that.

Sora sat in his Science class, lost in thought as their teacher lectured them about volume, mass and height of various objects. He was currently on measuring round objects you couldn't measure with a ruler, but Sora was staring outside at the Clocktower.

The student next to him nudged him sharply and then tossed him a crumpled piece of paper. Sora blinked and unraveled it, revealing in familiar handwriting:

_Ready to play Blitzball after school?_

Sora looked up. Across the classroom, a boy was grinning at him. He had tanned skin and blond hair, swept down in short spikes at the sides of his head. He mouthed something along the lines of, "You promised!" silently so the teacher wouldn't noticed.

Blitzball was a popular ball-game that was played around Destiny Islands. It consisted of six players, one who played the Keeper – who guarded the scoring field. It was all played underwater in a massive stadium. There was one ball and the basic goal was to get the ball to the opposite goal before time was up. Each game was only ten minutes long, with a halftime break after five minutes. The players had train hard in order to learn how to hold their breath while staying active for a full five minutes. The team with the most points wins – just like any other sport. Destiny Islands was in second place, behind Kismet Isle. Wakka was the Captain, and Tidus was one of the greatest players in Destiny Islands with his "Sphere Shot" move.

Sora blinked at the note, however. He remembered the sport, but he didn't remember saying that to Tidus. After a moment, he wrote something down in the paper, agreeing to Blitzball practice and then asked him about the Clocktower. He tossed it back to Tidus, who caught it expertly and unraveled it. A few minutes later and the crumpled paper was tossed back. Sora unraveled the paper-wad carefully, eager to read Tidus' answer.

_What clocktower?_

**-xxx-**

_Ding ... ding! Ding ... ding!_

The High School bell rang mid-afternoon, announcing that the classes had ended for the day. At once, the doors were thrown open and a sea of white, blue and black came pouring out into the hallways. The greatest amount of the student body population left the hallways and proceeded to lockers, trading in school shoes for street shoes and preparing themselves to meander home. Many lingered behind for after school activities and socializing, but Sora was not the case.

He exited the classroom, dressed in an identical uniform to the others around him: A button-up white t-shirt with a blue plaid tie at the throat, and a pair of navy blue pants and white school shoes. Although some time during third period he had rolled up his pant-legs to just below his knee. He came out of the classroom, lost in thought, an expression that wasn't seen very often and the usually-impulsive boy.

Sora still had that note stuck in his head. He hadn't the chance to talk to Tidus since then, as the teacher caught them and Tidus' friends dragged him away before he and Sora could talk again. _'Who couldn't notice that gigantic tower looming over Destiny Islands?'_ he thought. _'Maybe Tidus was being sarcastic ... or maybe he was telling the truth.'_ his mind fought that dying war inside of him as he walked down the hallway, weaving in between nameless students.

"Sora!"

He stopped in the middle of the hallway when a fist came out and punched him playfully in the shoulder. Sora jumped in surprise and whirled around, to see two boys grinning at him from behind. One was Tidus, who had been the boy to punch him. Behind him was a taller boy, at least a year older, with dark skin and bright orange hair held up in a bandanna. Both had already loosened their ties and the older boy – Wakka – had his shirt unbuttoned, revealing a white undershirt beneath.

"Hey, man! We've been callin' you all down the hallway," Wakka said, in a thick Besaid accent (unlike Sora, Tidus and Wakka both came from different cities).

Tidus grinned. "You ready for some practice?" he asked.

Sora nodded after a moment, hesitant. "Hai, of course," he said after a pause. "But ..." he said this slowly, and dragged the word on for as long as possible.

Tidus and Wakka looked at him, waiting for him to finish. "But what?" Tidus asked.

"But ... that thing we were talking about in first period," Sora said, "the Clocktower. You really have no idea what I was talking about?"

Wakka looked down at Tidus. "What's with the loony talk about Clocktowers?" he asked.

Tidus shrugged and looked at Sora. "Gomen, but I was being serious. Sora, there's no Clocktower in Destiny Islands." he pointed out the window, where glimpses of the gray day could be seen through the bodies of passing students. "You'd think something that big would be a little more obvious."

When Tidus looked outside, his eyes seemed to glaze right over the Clocktower. Yet, as Sora looked, he could see the midsection of the dark Clocktower clearly.

He frowned, quiet.

"Enough babble!" Wakka finally said loudly. "We're not gonna be worryin' about things that ain't here, ya? We've got Blitzball practice if we're ever gonna beat Kismet Isle."

Sora slowly nodded. "H-hai! Just forget all about what I said. With the new season opening, you'll need all the practice you can get!" he said in a falsely cheery voice.

"Hah! Thanks for the belief, Sora," Tidus said sarcastically as they continued down the hallway.

"If you've so little faith you should try out for the team," Wakka told Sora.

"Iie," Sora answered, "I think I'm better off in the stands than in that giant bubble." he replied with a shrug.

**-xxx-**

Blitzball practice ran late, and by the time Sora exited the stadium, it was already dark.

It was easy to lose track of time while underwater in a place where watches wouldn't work and the face of a clock was blurry. Time flew by and the Clocktower read almost nine o'clock by the time they reached it. The Blitzball Stadium was located apart of Destiny Islands, on its edge further inland. Destiny Islands was a part of a much bigger Isle called Kismet Isle, where the Blitzball Stadium was located. It was about a half-hour drive from the school, but combining the rumbling stomachs of seven teenage boys plus one driver, the drive became a full hour both ways.

Sora hopped out of the dark van when it stopped in front of his house. "Oyasumi nasai!" he called over his shoulder and headed up the steps. The sky above him was clouded: Few stars could be seen through the thick layer of black clouds that overwhelmed the skies. The missing starlight combined with the lack of street lights made the walkway even darker than normal. Sora blinked into the darkness; it was hot out, with still winds and all the heat trapped beneath the clouds. It felt ... foreboding.

Behind him, the last four people in the van didn't seem to notice the shiver Sora couldn't suppress. Instead, they cheerily called out, "See ya later!" and the van took off, leaving him quite alone on the front steps of his house. There were no lights on; it was most likely empty, which was no surprise. His mother worked long hours as a waitress and a clerk at two different jobs.

She was often gone in the morning the same time he was, but wouldn't return home until very late.

The Hikari residence was a two-story house. Sora thought of it as one and a half stories because the only rooms upstairs was his bedroom and a half-bathroom located right above the garage. Downstairs was the living room, kitchen, laundry room and full bathroom, and his mother's bedroom. The paint was a faded light blue and the roof was black in the night sky. There were no street lights near the back-road so the walkway was dark as Sora walked up the steps.

He found the door locked and unlocked it with his own key, then walked inside. The house was relatively neat: The floors in every room but the bathrooms and kitchen were made up of a hard wood, something like maple wood. It was polished yet scuffed with the tread marks of teenagers often passing through. The floors of the rest of the rooms were linoleum and the garage was concrete. The living room was comfortable with a dark navy couch in front of an average-sized TV, a game console and unwound controllers set out onto the floor. A few coats hung up by the door, and there were many family photos of Sora with a woman in her late twenties to early thirties, with long brown hair and purple eyes.

There was no father in any of the pictures.

Sora yawned and tossed aside his jacket, bag and his sneakers. He flipped on a light, shedding a pale warmth over the living room and the kitchen. The two rooms were combined as one, with a marble-top isle counter dividing the two rooms. "I hope Kaa-san has been buying something good," he said and walked into the kitchen.

**-xxx-**

Unfortunately, Naminé's spell didn't fix the food that was in the fridge. Sora found very little food suitable for him to cook, and nothing heat-and-eat in the freezer. He eventually settled with rice and gravy for dinner.

The Television set became the only source of noise in the house as Sora ate alone. When the forked hands of the clock in the kitchen both pointed straight up, Sora felt drowsiness set upon him. His eyes ached with lethargy, and he finally switched off the television and moved to dump the dishes in the sink (his dirty bowl and fork had been with him the whole time he watched TV).

The stairs creaked as he walked upstairs, and once Sora stopped halfway and glanced around hesitantly. He flipped the switch on the wall, and the light bulb flickered on for a moment. With a flash, it burnt out, living red-hot wires in the center of rounded glass. Sora watched this with a heavy sigh and thought, _'Guess we'll have to replace that light bulb.'_

He made up to his room and searched around for a pair of pajamas to wear for the night. Sora had turned on every light in his bedroom, even his little night-light that hadn't been touched for more than two years. He shuddered, feeling the air chill around him. "Man, when did it get so cold?" he wondered aloud, and tried to distract himself as he shuffled through his dresser drawers. A light breeze sashayed through the room and made the hairs rise on the back of Sora's neck and arms, and he shuddered. Curious for the source, Sora straightened up and started to turn around.

_"My, how fortunate you are to have a whole house to yourself."_

Sora could feel his heart race. He spun around, looking wildly for the source of the speaker. The color had drained out of his face, leaving his lips and cheeks a deathly shade of gray. "Who's there!?" Sora demanded bravely.

A shadow moved to his left. The light bulb on his desk flashed brightly and then burnt out, leaving glowing red embers in the Darkness. Following its suit was the overhead light, so only his night-light burned through the Darkness that settled in. Sora turned, jumping when the light bulbs burned out, and faced the shadow.

It stepped out to the center of the room to reveal that 'it' was a 'she'. A shapely, dark-skinned woman with sharp, orange eyes that glowed like the remains of a wildly-burning fire in the dark of his room. High heels pressed against the carpet and he could hear the sashayed of a loose skirt as she moved. Her sleeves seemed to fall to just above her breasts with a rip in the center, and he could see the outline of the wrinkles against her arms. There was some black shape above her left breast, but he couldn't make out what it was. Her face was mostly obscured by the mass of dark hair that framed it; her bangs covered the left side of her face so only parts of her eye could be glimpsed. Her hair seemed to be pinned up at the back of her head with something sharp and long, so the rest fell in front of her shoulders.

It was all he could see in the dark, that night-light wasn't bright enough for him to make out details. Sora gazed at her, wide-eyed and surprised. "Who are you!?" he demanded to know at once. His heart pounded wildly inside of him.

"How rude," came the sultry, sexy voice of the woman, "is that any way to talk to a woman?" she asked. A chuckle followed.

She stepped forward again, revealing herself to be at least a head taller than Sora. The night-lights glow faintly reflected off the dark mass on her chest, a brooch of some sort.

"What're you doing in here?" Sora asked. His voice was starting to lose the authority it once held only moments before.

Another chuckle; this one coy, like he had something completely naïve. "What do you _think_ I'm doing in here?" she asked. "There can only be one reason a woman would ever come to a mans bedroom. Too bad, you're not a man."

Sora frowned. "Are you just here to make jokes?" he asked. He held out his hand and a flash of gold light washed over it, solidifying into what appeared to be an over-sized antique key. The blade was long and round, hooked at the end, and pure silver, as was the handle. A square guard settled comfortably around his head, seemingly gold. A thin keychain bearing the King's insignia dangled from the back of the guard. Sora held up the Keyblade in front of him threateningly.

This time, laughter. "You would bear a weapon against me?" she asked. "Have I given you reason to fight, boy?" she stopped at the very tip of the Keyblade, but did not touch it. When she moved, Sora saw the brooch perfectly: It was not a brooch, but an _emblem._ A thorny heart-shaped black-and-red emblem. The emblem of Heartless.

"You ... you're a Heartless!" Sora gasped.

The woman seemed to elongate her body. She bent forward at the waist, separating and lengthening her torso so that her head came only inches before Sora's without even touching him or his weapon. "I am, what will you do about it?" she laughed again.

Sora frowned. "Quit laughing! I'm serious!" he exclaimed.

Her eyes seemed to be glazed over. Now that they were so close, Sora could smell a perfume: Like lavenders and passion flowers. The sweet scent seemed almost intoxicating, it made him feel sleepy. She was smiling in the darkness, revealing small, pointed teeth. "Can you slay me? Can you slay a woman with a human face?" she asked.

Sora gasped and then ... she did something completely unexpected.

She kissed him.

Stretched out her body a little more so their faces met and before Sora could move, their mouths had met. It completely stunned him, and he almost dropped the Keyblade out of pure shock. He could taste her, and her mouth tasted like sweet ash. When his arm dangled loosely by his side, she crept her body closer until she was pressed up against him. Sora stepped backwards, his mind screaming at him to break apart. His eyes glazed over and he simply stood there, loosely, held up only against her body as she held the kiss for what felt like eons.

_'Sora! She's the enemy! You can't kiss the enemy!'_ his mind thought. _'But ... I don't want to move ... it's nice ...'_ Sora thought against it.

Her arms wrapped around his waist, and he found himself ... _enjoying_ it. The sweet taste of her tongue in his mouth. And just when he felt like he would fall into a dream, something like a sliver past through her mouth into his, and he swallowed it.

Sora's eyes widened and he pushed her away. He gasped for air, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "What'd you give me!? Tell me!" he shouted.

Downstairs, the phone began to ring wildly.

The woman smirked. "You really want to know?" she asked. "Don't be hostile. Those moves won't save you out here. But if you want to learn," and he watched her eyes pass out to the window and focus upon the Clocktower, "you better be ready to _kill_."

In a burst of a dark cloud, she vanished, leaving him alone, breathless.

Sora stood there for a very long time and the Keyblade vanished from his head. It was the last ring of the phone that finally snapped him out of his daze. He blinked and then hurried downstairs, picking up the phone just as the answering machine got it.

"Hello? Moshi moshi?" he asked into the phone.

To his horror, the voice of a certain red-haired femme was on the other side. "Sora-kun? Are you alright? You sound like you've just run a marathon." she said.

Sora's heart sank.

* * *

Oooooh. 

Sora-luff

And she won't make her appearance again for quite a while, so fill up while you can!


	3. Divide and Confront

**Act III **

_**divide and confront**_

The next two weeks, for Sora, was misery.

Within three days he came down with a fever, which topped out at little more than a hundred and two degrees. He missed school and the fourth and fifth day, and was bed-ridden for both days. Strength had left him long ago and he barely had the strength to talk by the sixth day. He had grown weary of assuring everyone that he was perfectly fine, but his gray lips and pale face assured them that he wasn't. At night, Sora couldn't sleep. Sometimes he felt so exhausted that he lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling. Every now and then, when the room was only occupied by Sora, his Nobody would appear and simply watch him.

Roxas quickly learned that Sora said things in his sleep, which certainly wasn't normal for him. He would mumble things and toss and turn throughout the night, repeating phrases over and over again. Once he even apologized in his sleep. Roxas questioned him about it once, and asked him if he remembered his dreams. Sora simply looked at him with half-lidded blue eyes. "I'm ... fine, really," he had said feebly on the seventh day, "there's no need to worry." then, he looked at the ceiling and said somewhat clearly: "I don't remember my dreams."

Roxas knew he was lying.

During the second week, things became worse. Sora soon lost the ability to eat any solid foods and was left with a diet of water and soup. It helped that his mother was a good cook and Kairi brought him things as often as she could. She and Riku were over every day, right after school. Riku even skipped the final period of the eighth day to talk to Roxas. Sora was asleep when Riku entered the room, with Roxas' nearly-invisible form plopped down on the floor, examining his rings.

At the time, when he entered, Roxas looked up. _"Shouldn't you be in school?"_ Roxas had asked, checking the clock.

Riku shrugged. "It's no big deal. I hate Biology anyways," he said and kneeled down. He looked over at Sora: His cheeks were pink but the rest of his face was void of color. He was deep asleep and frequently turned while the two talked. Riku looked back at Roxas. He was serious. "Tell me, does ... Sora say anything in his sleep?"

Roxas merely stared at him for a moment. _"That's a pretty narrow question,"_ he finally said, a little suspicious.

"Just answer the stupid question," Riku said.

Roxas sighed. He didn't like Riku, and it was obvious that Riku didn't like him. Maybe it was because the times before their previous meetings resulted in a fight: One of which Roxas had won. Until Riku tapped into the sleeping power of Darkness. _"Hai, he says things,"_ he answered.

Riku thought about this. His facial expression matched that of a person who had just learned what someone else was saying was true. "Like what?" he finally asked.

Roxas glanced at Sora. Sora turned over, facing the window, mumbling something incoherent. _"He started to apologize a lot since the day before yesterday. Other than that, it's mostly pleading and stuff,"_ he said.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "'Pleading'?" he repeated.

Roxas nodded. _"Aa, you don't believe me? Listen,"_ he looked up at Sora.

Riku quietly straightened up and crept closer to the boy. A warm rag had fallen off his forehead and now lay on the pillow beside him. Sora's sleeping face was frowning. "Don't ..." Riku heard him vaguely say. "Stop ... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry ..." he sounded desperate, although his voice was muffled through the thickness of the blankets.

_"Believe me now?"_ Roxas asked.

Riku nodded, and left without another word.

The following day, Riku didn't return. Kairi did, and stayed the whole time until it was nearly late and Sora's mother, Cho, offered to give her a ride home. Kairi settled on walking home by herself. Naminé left with her. By that time, Sora would wake up violently, coughing and hacking. On the tenth, he puked up everything he ate. Cho managed to force him to drink water as much as possible, and kept his temperature down with cool rags. By the twelfth, he stopped talking altogether: In his dreams and in reality. He could barely sit up and stayed mostly laying down. On the night of the thirteenth day – exactly two weeks after the mysterious woman had appeared in Sora's bedroom – Riku finally returned.

He had a bottle of strange, black liquid along with him. He looked uncertain.

Roxas immediately asked, _"What is that?"_

"It's a remedy ... I think," Riku said doubtfully.

Now Roxas was suspicious. It wasn't often Riku looked so uncertain. _"You think?"_ he asked.

Riku nodded and left the bottle on Sora's desk. "Make sure he drinks it ... all of it," and then he turned to leave again.

_"You're not even gonna stay to see if it kills him or not?"_ Roxas asked mildly.

"Don't question it," Riku said icily and then left the room altogether.

When Sora woke up, some time mid-morning, the house was quiet. Cho was sleeping out on the couch, still in her waitress uniform. It was dark outside when he awoke, and noticed the bottle set on the desk. When he questioned it, Roxas repeated the last time he saw Riku. Sora eyed the bottle carefully and held it up with a shaky hand. Roxas' ethereal form could not hold it for him. After five minutes of pulling himself into an upright position, he held the bottle before Roxas and swirled it around. "Looks thick," he said wearily.

_"You really gonna drink it?"_ Roxas asked.

Sora gave a feeble shrug. "I don't have much choice," he said only moments before collapsing into a coughing fit. He looked up at Roxas, doubled over on the blankets. "I ... don't wanna be sick anymore."

He had not told anybody about the woman that had appeared two weeks before.

With that, Sora held it up and said, "Cheers," quietly and then drained the bottle. The look of disgust was upon his face, and within the hour, he had fallen asleep again. That night was the worst: Sora tossed and turned uncontrollably, and shuddered whenever someone touched his skin. His entire face was red and his temperature shot through the roof. He woke up for minutes at a time, and often complained that his chest was hurting him. Cho, who had long decided to take Sora to the hospital, was ready to start packing him and take him to the hospital when Sora stopped her.

He leaned over the side of the bed and dry-heaved into the bowl on the floor. Then, he fell back asleep. He didn't twitch or move or mumble a single thing while he slept. In fact, he almost appeared to be in peace.

**-xxx-**

That night, Kairi called Riku's house. With Naminé at her side, she waited impatiently while the phone rang, and was finally answered by a deep male voice she almost didn't recognize. "Riku?" she asked after a pause.

_"Yeah?"_

"Oh!" she said in surprise. "Ano ... I'm just ... worried. About Sora-kun." she said slowly, playing with the telephone cord with a frown on her face. She bent and twisted the cord between her fingers.

_"We all are."_

"I was just ... wondering. Have you heard from King Mickey?" Kairi asked. "Maybe Donald's magic, or some other-worldly help could save Sora."

There was a long pause at the other end of the line. _"I think that Sora will be alright."_

Kairi blinked, and then realized that Riku could not see her puzzled expression, so she said, "What makes you say that?"

_"Something in my gut."_

"Oh." Kairi replied somberly. There came shuffled noises at the other end during the long pause. Kairi frowned again and asked after a full minute, "Riku, what is that noise? Is someone _packing_?"

_"Huh? Ano ... iie! Just tidying up, the place looks like a dump. Anyways, I'll call you tomorrow, alright? Ja!"_ and Riku hung up quickly. He said it all very fast that made Kairi both suspicious and worried. She turned and looked at Naminé.

"What should I do?" Kairi asked miserably.

Naminé gave her a sympathetic look. _"Gomen nasai, but there's not much you can do. I'm sure all Sora-kun needs right now is just a friendly voice,"_ was all she could offer.

Kairi nodded.

**-xxx-**

The next day, Sora woke up early in the morning. He sat up with almost no effort at all, and some color had returned to his face. When his mother checked his temperature, it had reduced to ninety-nine degrees. "Whoa! That's lower than it has been in a while," Cho said rather happily, "that's good to know. It seems you're getting over the cold, Sora."

Sora grinned a weary smile. "I feel better," he said and stretched his arms above his head. He suddenly froze and then lowered his arms in pain. Cho gasped and laid one hand on his shoulder, asking what was the matter. Sora merely replied, "Pulled a muscle," with a grunt of pain. Cho sighed.

By noon, Sora was able to leave the bed without help at all, and crossed the room on his own – a little wobbly, but he was getting over the illness surprisingly fast. In the afternoon, Kairi visited him again and was stunned and gladdened to see Sora up walking around again. Most of the color had returned to his face and body, although he did look a little peaked.

"That's great!" Kairi cheered. "You're getting better! That means things can go back to the way they were before!" she said happily.

Sora nodded with a distant look. "Hai ... back to normal," he said.

Again, Riku didn't come over to see how Sora was doing, nor did he call. Kairi revealed the phone conversation she had had with him the night before, which made Sora puzzled and curious. She finally left about dinner-time, and after Cho brought in Sora's dinner (finally, solid foods again) on a tray and left, Sora glanced over just as Roxas appeared.

_"You were lying,"_ Roxas said.

Sora gave a sheepish grin. "I had to, I don't want her to know."

_"You're gonna go to that Clocktower, aren't you?"_ Roxas asked. _"And hunt down that chick who ... erm,_ attacked_ you,"_ he said this hesitantly, unsure of how to phrase the event.

Sora blushed. "H-how do you know about that!"

Roxas cast him an irritated look. _"I'm your Nobody. I'm like your twin; I saw what happened. I just couldn't do anything about it,"_ he said this first part as though Sora had asked something rather stupid. When he finished, his eyes became downcast.

"Who knows?" Sora tossed his spiky head back and stared at the ceiling. "I could find something out about that Clocktower-place. Maybe I'll even learn how to give you and Nami-chan real bodies of your own, ne?" he asked hopefully and glanced over at Roxas. "These Heartless oughta know something."

_"Don't get your hopes up,"_ Roxas said bitterly, _"Heartless do not remember their existence or their previous lies. They're only good at two things: Attacking and destroying."_

Sora smirked. "But _I_ have the Keyblade. And that's a weapon they could never hope to overwhelm!" he said optimistically.

**-xxx-**

"_You're mental."_

"Stop worrying! This will be a cake-walk."

_"You don't know how many people could be in that Clocktower."_

"Neither do you."

_"... _And_ you don't know what their strengths are or how powerful they are!"_

"Neither do you."

A long pause followed that statement. Then, _"Why do you want to go by yourself? Why not ask your friends – at least Riku. He's strong, I know it."_

"Since when are you in favor of Riku joining me?"

_"Nothing's changed. He's still an ass! But ... he's real,"_ Roxas stared at the floor, _"and I'm not."_

Outside, there was a storm over-taking Destiny Islands. The thick, black clouds had produced so much that they blocked out all manner of light from the sky, shrouding the stars and moon in Darkness. The street lights flickered on and off, and the tempest night beat against the sides and roof of the house. The winds blew furiously through the streets, threatening any light-weight object and tossing them carelessly into the sky. The rain pounded hard against Destiny Islands in a mix of water and ice; blown almost sideways by the wind. Every now and then, thunder boomed in the distance.

Three of the faces read 10:20 PM. The fourth one continued to read eleven o'clock, exactly.

Sora was busy packing for his trip to the Clocktower. His mind was all made up: He was going to the Clocktower that night, and he was going to break in, one way or another. What the mysterious woman did to him (as he was almost positive she was the reason he ever fell ill), he couldn't forgive. Her appearance along with the Clocktower was too much of a coincidence. Roxas had given up on trying to dissuade him from going to the Clocktower, and was now working on trying to get him to go with someone _else_. As far as that argument went, Roxas was losing. Again.

"Don't get so down," Sora said as he busily packed. A little red backpack was open on his bed, where he piled in numerous things. "What if the Clocktower is the key? Who knows what those Heartless might know. They might even know how to get you and Nami-chan a physical body of your own." he said.

Roxas watched him as he stuffed a compass, some rope, a map (_"Why do you need a map of the town?"_ Roxas asked. "What if I get lost?" Sora had protested.), pocky, and various other things. _"How long are you planning to stay in the Clocktower?"_

"For however long it takes," Sora said optimistically.

_"You have a _toothbrush_ in your backpack,"_ Roxas pointed out dully.

"I don't want bad breath!" Sora said quickly.

There was a long pause as Sora zipped up the backpack and swung it onto his back. He had already changed into the same clothes he had first come home in from the Realm of Darkness, those that had been gifted to him by the Fairies at Yen Sid's tower. _"Those clothes have special powers,"_ they had told him, and they were right. Sora would probably need the extra help – and they seemed to be good luck for him.

"Kaa-san is asleep," Sora noted, glancing at the door as though he expected her to come knocking on it.

_"You're really serious, then?"_ Roxas asked him. _"You're really going to do this by yourself?"_

Sora turned around to face the blond. He was grinning. "Of course! I have to. For the sake of Destiny Islands and the people here, at least. Of course," he put his hands behind his head, "it'll be sorta hard. I've never fought Heartless without Donald or Goofy, except for a few times. A whole Clocktower by myself ... it'll be a good source of training. When I get out, we'll see who's number one on Destiny Islands!" Sora said victoriously.

_"Calm down, you haven't even entered yet,"_ Roxas said.

"Aa," Sora sweat-dropped and then walked over to the window. He pushed it open, and the wind forced its way inside. It brought goosebumps on Sora's skin, but Roxas remained the same. "Ja!" Sora called over his shoulder and he hopped outside the window.

As Sora left the room, Roxas turned away and vanished.

**-xxx-**

Silver keychain in hand, Sora slid down the wet roof-top and then landed on the damp grass below. He straightened up and looked around, which was useless: The wind and rain made it extremely hard to see, and things got worse with the street lights flickering on and off. It was memory that led him through town and not sight. It was only a good thing that most of the people were inside, in their homes, safe against the raging storm. Sora pushed through it, however, and quickly set his destination for the Clocktower in the heart of Destiny Islands.

It took him almost forty minutes to reach the Clocktower. Longer than usual with the wind and rain beating against him, but with time and perseverance, Sora fought through and eventually found himself at the bottom of the Clocktower. His hands and face were both numb, and raindrops slid down from his matted hair down the back of his neck, sending shivers up his spine. Sora stared up at the seemingly-unsteady Clocktower and stared at it. It was only when he saw a glimmer at the top did he realize that the blue ivy had shifted over to red, and now pulsated brighter than ever.

"It's a good thing I got here when I did," Sora said, just as the big hand on three of the faces struck the 12. At that instant, a loud, heavy ring came from the inside. It chimed exactly eleven times and the faces themselves all began to glow, revealing ornate markings in their faces. Slivers of Darkness, each pointed to each other in a Trinity-fashion. Like the huge Clocktower had just taken a deep breath, it seemed to tower over him even more than before.

Another glow caught his eye: The chain wrapped around the brass handles began to glow red-hot. Without thinking, Sora reached out to touch the metal, only to have his fingertips singed in the process. With a sharp gasp, he drew his fingers back and watched the chains melt away. The links became silver liquid, almost like mercury, and seeped into the hard door like silver veins.

It created another ornate decoration, this time it appeared to be two trees on either side with a field in the background, where two suns and a moon could be seen in the sky. The left moon was high, the center sun was half-sunken into the fields, and the right sun was about in the center.

Holding up the keychain, it transformed into the Kingdom Key. The glassy surface of the stained glass windows seemed to reflect almost in protest of the Keyblade. Sora felt himself withdraw as the door shone brightly, like a beacon of silver light in the Darkness.

A light peeked through the center cracks of the door and the doors burst forward. Slowly, they widened further and further, allowing Sora entry. Sora cast a glance over his shoulder – seeing no one – and then walked inside. Behind him, the doors swung close again. There was a _click_! and the chain replaced itself on the handles.

**-xxx-**

Inside was nothing at all like the outside. Where the outside walls were made up of jagged, square, gray bricks, the inside walls were smooth and all white. There were no windows, but there were red draperies upon the walls. Between them, flickered bright torches set in sconces on the wall. Two black, ornate chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Crimson candles were lit, casting long, spidery shadows on the walls. Yet, the area was lit brightly, despite the seemingly-lack of electricity.

There were pillars set exactly four feet from the wall and four feet apart. They were welded into the floor and ceiling in a cast of ebony. The bodies were white, but crimson 'veins' pulsated at the tops and bottom, but could not bee seen around the center. They pulsated more when Sora drew close. The floor stretched down in a short hallway, lined down the center with a thick, crimson carpet that went up the stairs at the opposite end. The numbers '0:00' were written above the opposite archway.

Sora walked inside and glanced around. He continued forward, and then examined one of the pillars. It pulsated obediently when he reached up and touched one of the veins – he could feel its body, it was on the outside of the pillar and yet seemed to sink inside around the center. He shuddered and drew away. "Creepy," Sora said to himself.

"Ah, but what did ya expect?" laughed a tomboyish voice.

At the far end of the hallway, a circle of Darkness burst on the floor. It swirled around in a circle, in a clockwise manner. A second later and a woman had – quite literally – climbed out of the Darkness. A pair of hands grasped the edge of the vortex and then heaved up the body of a boyish-looking woman. She leaned back down and drew out a massive halberd effortlessly, and then the portal closed. Sora frowned, tense, and held the Kingdom Key before him.

* * *

Newest chapter! 

I hope you enjoyed it. The greatest action is starting on the next chapter, after which, there will be a _lot_ of fighting scenes.

Bloody fighting scenes. -luff-

Have fun with this one!

Oh yes, and I just realized that I never put up the place I got the lyrics in the first act from. YouTube, from a guy called "JaZer Games".

You should watch it, it is awesome.


	4. Introduction

**Act IV **

_**introduction**_

Sora walked inside and glanced around. He continued forward, and then examined one of the pillars. It pulsated obediently when he reached up and touched one of the veins – he could feel its body, it was on the outside of the pillar and yet seemed to sink inside around the center. He shuddered and drew away. "Creepy," Sora said to himself.

"Ah, but what did ya expect?" laughed a tomboyish voice.

At the far end of the hallway, a circle of Darkness burst on the floor. It swirled around in a circle, in a clockwise manner. A second later and a woman had – quite literally – climbed out of the Darkness. A pair of hands grasped the edge of the vortex and then heaved up the body of a boyish-looking woman. She leaned back down and drew out a massive halberd effortlessly, and then the portal closed. Sora frowned, tense, and held the Kingdom Key before him.

The woman stood a good head taller than Sora, putting her at almost five feet and ten inches. She had a strong, almost _thick_, figure built up of visible, lean muscle. She had a short neck and square shoulders, with long legs and arms. Her skin was dark, a deep chocolate color; the Heartless emblem showed upon her breast, almost directly over her heart. She was dressed in a crimson turtle-neck tank-top, that stopped right below her rib-cage. A black tie was loosely tied around her neck, draped over her shoulder to dangle down the right side of her torso rather than the center. Her jeans were deep maroon, with a baggy right leg bound at the knee with white bandages, and the other leg cut off at the thigh. It revealed the bottom of a pair of striped boxers. She wore black and white boots that stopped mid-calf, and a wristband around her right wrist and left upper arm. A black tattoo of various symbols was visible on her right shoulder.

She had a square face with a short, slender nose and a wide mouth. Her eyes were bright orange, and her hair was wild, short and a bright red. A beaded string pierced her right ear and a second string was tied about her left knee.

The halberd she carried was enormous, almost as long as she was tall. The blade curved out as it reached the end so the tip was longer than the hilt. Several holes were pierced against the flat side of it: One in the shape of a Keyhole, a circle, and a long sliver all next to each other. A second piece of the blade sprouted above the main blade and hovered above it. The handle was long and firm, bound in white bandages, and there was no guard.

The woman smirked at Sora. He knew immediately it was not the same woman that had appeared in his bedroom. "Who are you?" Sora asked.

She tossed back her head and grinned. "So nice of you to ask," she said. "_I_ am a Heartless. Funny, right?" she said and effortlessly heaved the halberd up onto her shoulder, where it rested. "'Cause we're all supposed to be evil and out for hearts ..." she drawled on, but that grin never faded. Her eyes pierced Sora's when she said the next line, "and it's _all_ true."

Sora dropped into a fighting stance with his knees bent and the Keyblade before him. "Then it's true. Do you know anything about the woman who came to my room?" he asked seriously.

Her eyebrows raised. "And what if I _do_?" she asked.

"I wanna know! Why are you here?" Sora demanded. "And why did you send her to come after me?"

Another laugh. "_I_ didn't send anybody kid," she said, "do you honestly think the main baddie here is going to make an entrance appearance?" she thought about this and then smirked, "Well, I guess after you trip through Castle Oblivion, you sort of thought I would be. Didn't you?"

Sora glared at her. Her grin spread.

Castle Oblivion was the first place where he confronted the Organization. Led by Marluxia, they drew him into a trap through thirteen floors, and as he continued through he steadily forgot about Hollow Bastion and Kairi. That was where he had met Naminé, a witch who was changing his memories to make him believe she was being held hostage. Marluxia planned to manipulate Sora into taking over the Organization that would make _him_ over-all leader, but Sora, Donald and Goofy killed him in the end. As a result of the memory-damage, Naminé placed Sora in a slumber that would make him forget all about Castle Oblivion ... and her.

However, during his trek through the Castle that Never Was, Sora's memories of Castle Oblivion had begun to gradually return.

"But I won't disappoint you," she continued. "Y'see, _I_ am almost as good as the leader of the place. I like a hands-on experience when it comes to confronting my enemies. My name is Ira!" she announced. "And don't you forget it!"

Sora tensed, glaring at Ira. "I'd introduce myself, but I get the sneaking suspicion you already know," he said.

"Hikari Sora," Ira said, "current wielder of the Keyblade."

"But I'm not the _only_ one!" Sora said quickly. "King Mickey, Riku, Roxas – even Kairi-chan had a Keyblade!"

Ira's grin turned almost devilish. "You are the _true_ Keyblader. Is there ever a time when the copy is as good as the original? Origin, my friend, is a very special thing." she said.

Sora watched her carefully, but inside, he was puzzled.

Ira then began to take steps closer to him: She walked with a swing in her hips and shoulders, as though she was listening to a very good song, and took long strides close to him. Oddly, there were tremors in the floor every time she took a step. Sora wasn't sure if that was good or bad. _'An earthquake?'_ was his first thought.

"Y'know what? I'm tired of the kiddy-talk," Ira said loudly. "C'mon Keyblade Master! Let's see if you really are worthy of that thing!" she said, and then bolted for him.

**-xxx-**

Ira's speed was surprisingly slow. Sora watched her footsteps with ease, unlike most of his opponents who were light and agile. He kept his fighters' stance, ready to parry her attack. The tremors became worse as she stomped against the floor, and then leapt clearly into the air. She raised the massive halberd with one hand and then lashed out with it. Sora could see the attack clearly and held the Keyblade horizontally in front of him.

_CLINK!_ went the awful sounding of metal as the halberd was thrust into the Keyblade.

Sora could feel tremors all the way up to his elbows. The pure strength behind the attack not only disabled Sora's parry, but it sent him completely across the hallway. He flew to the left in motion of the attack and crashed noisily into the wall. Sora slid down to the floor, with a deep crack in the wall where he had landed. His head was pounding and his wrists were in pain.

_'That strength! That's amazing,'_ Sora couldn't help but think as he wiped his lip. Already, his lower lip began to swell and a good amount of thick, copper-tasting blood was pouring out from his jaw. He wiped the blood away and smeared it across his chin.

Ira stood up and heaved the halberd onto her shoulder. She turned around: Sora could see the excitement of the fight in her eyes. They appeared almost golden. She smirked and then braced herself. Sora realized a second before it happened – she was coming in for another attack.

Just as Ira set off running, shaking the entire hallway with her, Sora jumped up and bolted off to the left and further down the hall. Ira skidded to a stop, pushing her shoulder into the fractured wall, and then dashed off after him. Sora weaved between the pillars as he ran, forcing Ira to skid and stumble along behind him. Her speed was nothing to be proud of, but that strength! Sora wouldn't be surprised if his palms began to bruise.

"You just gonna run from the fight!?" shouted Ira, trailing along behind him.

Sora frowned, but continued to run. As he raced, he tried to form a plan in his head. _'I just got to surprise her and hit her as hard as possible!'_ he thought.

With the stairway rapidly approaching, Sora waited until he was almost three feet away from the stairs before he suddenly stopped and spun around. He was almost surprised to see that, somewhere along the line, Ira had caught up with him. When he turned around, they were almost face-to-face, but Sora thrust out the Keyblade and dug it as far into her gut as he possibly could.

Ira stopped instantly. She gasped out loud, and her eyes seemed to fade back to their previous orange color. She staggered backwards, clutching onto her stomach. A burnt-circle exactly the shape of the tip of the Keyblade was now on her stomach, burning bits of her pants and her shirt in the process. Despite the pain she must have felt, Ira grinned as she stepped backwards. The halberd's tip was gently rested on the ground.

"Way to go," she said feebly. Ira fell over backwards and landed on her butt on the floor. She let go of the halberd and stared up at Sora.

"You're gonna just lower your defenses and give up?" Sora asked her, distrusting.

"Yup," Ira closed on eye and leaned backwards, using her arms as support. "But don't pride yourself. That was a pretty good hit, but I'm far from dead. I'm not your ordinary Heartless – I don't die with one touch. But, you've earned yourself a bit of an explanation."

The first thing Sora said was, "Why are you here?"

"That's ... sort of complicated," Ira said as she sat there, so plainly, as though they were friends having an ordinary conversation. "You'll learn if you make it through the levels." and then she stood up and pointed at the stairs behind Sora. "_That_ is the only way on to the next level. There's no secrets, no short-cuts, nothing. You just walk. This Clocktower's got thirteen levels that you gotta get through if you wanna face my boss. You gotta get through 'em all, and _then_ you'll see the Clocktower for what it is."

"... what it is?" Sora repeated doubtfully.

Ira nodded. "That fight we had just now – expect more. See, the people I work with are all like me. A lot of them like to pick fights and cause pain, truly malevolent if you ask me. But, what are you gonna do? Expect visits from them a lot, even me." she said and then stood up, taking the halberd with her.

Sora turned around and looked at the stairs. "That's it? I just fight and run." he said, more to himself than to Ira.

The taller red-head, at that moment, slapped him hard on the back that made him cough. "Yup! Try not to die on me, because I sorta liked that fight. You're pretty tough kid. I usually don't like speedy characters, but you put up a challenge." she said and then turned and walked towards the center of the hallway.

"Matte, one more thing -," Sora began.

Ira turned around and grinned. "Later," and she disappeared through another black portal. Sinking through it effortlessly – and just like that, she and the Darkness were both gone.

Sora lingered in the spot where he stood. "Damn," he said, although it was rare that Sora ever swore, "well, I guess that's the only warning I'm gonna get in this place, isn't it?" he asked himself and then faced the stairs again.

_Buh ... buh ... buh ..._

The hairs rose on the back of Sora's neck. He adjusted the straps of his backpack and then glanced around. He could almost hear something, like the low rhythm of a drum. But he was completely alone. Sora frowned and then shrugged it off, but the beating grew faster when Sora neared the stairs.

_Buh! Buh! Buh!_

"What _is_ that?" Sora asked himself and then faced the wall. He couldn't determine where it came from – it seemed to come from all around. His own heart racing, Sora neared one of the walls and pressed his hands against the surface. The wall was extremely cold, and it felt even worse when he put his ear to it. But, he could hear the noise clearly:

_Buh-bump ... buh-bump ... buh-bump ..._

Sora felt as though he had just swallowed a whole ice cube. "Ano ... is that ... a _heart beat_?" he asked himself, shocked and horrified at the same time.

**-xxx-**

The stairway was long. Really, _really_ long.

It was completely awkward for Sora to walk across. After the first three steps, it began to stretch outwards completely straight. Smooth and white, with the red carpet stopping after the third step. The walls flickered black and white, like the reflection of rippling water across the walls and ceiling. There were no pillars, but Sora could hear the beating more clearly in the hallway than he could before. After ten feet, the smooth surface ascended into spiral stairs that stopped, again, at ten feet and then lowered again in the same, spiraling manner and continued onwards into a straight hallway. Eventually, the hallway came to an end with another ornate archway.

Sora stepped out into a very small room – no bigger than nine feet by nine feet. Above the archway he had just entered through was the same numbers: 0:00. In front of him, there was a wispy veil of purple smoke before another set of stairs. The Gothic numbers mirrored those in behind him. To his left was a set of white doors with brass handles, pointed at the centers in an arc. Above that were the numbers '1:00'. Pillars were set in the corners of each room, replicas of the ones from the entrance. They pulsated when Sora entered the room. The beat died down almost immediately after he passed through the archway.

The only light came from a Gothic, black chandelier hanging from the dead-center of the ceiling. Crimson candles were lit and danced with life. It made the room seem rather dark, only half-lit.

Sora's first thought was to head forward into the purple smoke dancing before him. However, as soon as he got close, the purple veil shocked him in protest. Literally – a white-blue bolt of very small lightning shot out and zapped Sora on the nose. He gasped and stepped backwards, bringing his hands up to his face. The tip of his nose had turned bright red and tears jumped into his eyes.

"I ... guess that means that I won't be going through there just yet," Sora said slowly and looked to the door south-west of him.

Swallowing, Sora walked over to the door and placed his hand on one of the handles. It was cold, almost frozen. Sora tugged on the door only to find out that it was heavy. With all of his strength, he wrenched it open and it swung wide. Mimicking his movements, the opposite door swung open as well. A warm light washed over the entire area ...

**-xxx-**

Sora opened his eyes, and immediately noticed that he had stepped out into a completely different room.

In fact, there was no ceiling! But wide, open blue sky above him. A few wispy clouds hung over the edge of his vision at the horizon. The ground was made up of hard, black cobblestone with three-feet tall walls lining the entire area. A set of stairs went to lower ground almost in front of him. Light caramel-colored roofs pointed upwards all over the place, especially those nearest to him. At lower ground, a group of dark cobblestone shops had been set up around the north, west and southern sides of the floor. Another set of stairs raised to higher ground, this of smooth, white pavement, led down to a neighborhood.

The shops had great, wooden signs placed over their open windows. Some had signs of weapons, other had half-full bottles, some had pieces of armor. A few people walked back and forth, and a trio of white-feathered ducks sat in three different shops. At the top of the second set of stairs was a great, open freezer with ice spilled out onto the ground. Across from him, an odd-looking creature danced back and forth in its spot.

It was small with short, cream-colored fur and no visible fingers or toes. The eyes were closed and its nose was big and round, with a great round ball dancing on top of its round head. Tiny purple wings flitted at its back. This was a Moogle, and the Moogle's image flickered back and forth revealing that it was just a hologram.

In the distance, across the rooftops of neighborhood areas, great machinery loomed. Beyond those, the ground became hard and rocky and great glaciers loomed over them. Ruins dotted the horizon in the form of a broken tower. The edge of his vision seemed to move, but as Sora focused, he couldn't tell what it was.

"I'm ... in the Radiant Garden!" Sora told himself in surprise.

**-xxx-**

Many stories away, a group of people were gathered in the Darkness. Before them was a Gothic-looking cauldron, with draconic creatures sitting at the brim. They were made of stone, and their eyes blazed red. With wings stretched and mouths open, a mist poured from their jaws to create an image of Sora, who had just stepped through the door far below them.

"Well, that was mildly interesting," came a sultry, sly voice after a long pause had settled over the room.

"Booo-_ring_," joined a quick, male voice.

"Nothing's ever exciting enough for you, Avaritia," said another male voice in a tone that sounded more like an order than a statement.

"Shut up, Invidia," said Avaritia sharply.

"Smart response," Invidia replied coolly.

A quiet sucking sound came from behind them – a third man was busy licking a strawberry lollipop. "Aw, be quiet, the both of you," he said in a hushed, timid voice.

"Brave, Gula," Avaritia approached him and made a gesture for the candy, "and what are you going to do if I don't _want_ to be quiet?"

Gula snatched back the candy with a sharp glare. "Don't touch my candy," he hissed dangerously.

"Now _this_ is more exciting!" came a high-pitched giggle from the other side of the room. A young girl was perched on a tiger.

"I'm not here for your entertainment, brat," Avaritia spat.

"Avaritia, cool it," said the first woman.

Avaritia appeared to be thinking of what to say next, but then smirked and put one arm around the woman. "When you're around, Luxuria, I don't think I can," he said.

She pushed him away with a disgusted look on her face.

"Ew!" piped the girl.

Invidia looked at her. "Hush, Acedia," he said.

Immediately, Acedia put both hands over her mouth and nodded.

A swirl of Darkness opened on the floor. A moment later, a halberd flew out of the void and struck the wall directly behind Avaritia. Ira herself climbed out and straightened up on the floor. "Yo," she greeted them as the Darkness closed itself behind her.

Avaritia shuddered and stepped away from Luxuria. "That came awfully close," he said.

"Was that a threat?" Ira asked. She grinned; she looked ready for a fight.

"I guess it was," Avaritia said and held one hand out – folded to the bottom of his palm was a sharp, small dagger.

"Better do it quick 'cause we got company," Ira challenged.

She was right, a moment later and another burst of Darkness occupied the only seat in the room. "Ira, Avaritia, stop it. We do not fight amongst ourselves," said a calm, collected voice as a woman's form filled the chair. She leaned back.

Ira and Avaritia straightened up and walked away from each other obediently.

The new woman's eyes was upon the cauldron. "The Mirror has reflected Sora's introduction at the first Tyme. I wonder what will happen to him?" she asked herself softly. Avaritia scoffed and appeared to start to speak, but the woman said sharply, "Shut up and watch. This might save your life later," and then she disappeared again.

"You'd think she'd like to stick around longer," Gula said, busy eating the candy. Invidia looked at him; Gula shrugged and said, "What?" innocently.

* * *

Alright for foreshadowing!

Next chapter will be showing some very familiar faces


	5. Return to Radiance

**Act V **

_**return to radiance**_

Sora stared.

He ... was in Radiant Garden.

_How_ could he be in Radiant Garden!?

As if in a daze, he walked down the stairs and into the Marketplace. Huey, Dewey and Louie – Donald's nephew triplets – had set up three of the many shops set up around the area. Including an Item Shop, Accessory Shop and Weapons Shop, the last of which was over by the Synthesizing Moogle. Moogles were craftsmen of the highest skill, crafting the materials that Sora found around the worlds into items of great use, weapons and items that they delighted in creating.

As Sora passed through, he heard cries of joy behind him. "Sora! Sora! You're back!" Huey and Dewey shouted, as they were the closest ducklings and recognized him immediately. They danced behind the counters in their red and blue caps and sweaters, as though they had not seen Sora in a very long time.

"Kon'nichi wa," he greeted them with a lingering grin and a wave over the shoulder. "Gomen, I got things to do. I'll stop by later!" Sora told them and continued on through the Marketplace. As Sora approached the stairs, Louie, in green, reacted the exact same way, but Sora told him the same thing.

The stairs led Sora onto higher ground and then descended again, leading him beneath a bridge and straight into the residential district. It was there that Sora heard the familiar sound of Heartless approaching, and held out his hand. Obediently, the Kingdom Key materialized in his palm and he grasped it tightly.

Inky-black pools seeped out onto the cobblestone the same way that Ira had originally appeared. Little, fleshy creatures with black skin crept out of the Darkness and it disappeared behind them. The creatures had big, round heads and fleshy bodies. They had no toes and their fingers were claws, but their feet and hands were like a child's hands and feet. They were bow-legged and bore a stooped posture, with jagged antennae sticking out of their head and round, yellow eyes staring emptily at Sora. They jiggled and twitched and the antennae soon pointed directly to Sora. These creatures were Shadows, the weakest of all Heartless and one of the first Heartless Sora had discovered.

Behind them, Soldiers appeared in great puffs of black and magenta smoke. They stood upright and wore dark gloves and boots on their hands and feet, respectively. Their bodies were covered in blue and purple armor, with a thorny heart-shaped emblem upon their chests. A silver helmet hid most of their features, so only yellow eyes could be seen. The Soldier Heartless were a bit stronger than the Shadows, but luckily, they weren't very good at teamwork. Unlike the Shadows, the Soldiers were artificially created Heartless, not pureblood Heartless as the Shadows were.

Sora dropped into another fighting stance, with his knees bent and the Keyblade held out in front of him. There was a smirk on his face: He was outnumbered seven-to-one, but he saw this as a challenge, and not overwhelming.

The Shadows crawled forward, with their legs and bent and their claws almost touching the ground. The jagged antennae twitched on their heads, locating the nearest heart. After only seconds, the antennae pointed to Sora – more specifically, his chest, where his heart beat. With their common enemy spotted, the Shadows sank into the ground. They became almost two-dimensional, crawling along the ground and were as flat as pancakes.

Two crawled around Sora and rose up from the ground behind him, with the other two in front of him. In the distance, the Soldiers merely danced, waiting for the Shadows to attack. Sora thrust out the Keyblade behind him, slamming the rounded blade right through the cranium of one of the Shadows. There was no blood, no bits of bone and flesh to fly everywhere: Instead, the Shadow simply vanished in a puff of smoke, the signal that it was dead.

The two in front of Sora launched themselves at Sora, and struck outwards with their wicked claws. Sora spun around and brought the Keyblade back in front of him, parrying both attacks. The Shadow from behind slid itself forward, feet first, and rammed its heels into Sora's. The boy toppled over backwards, luckily avoiding a second assault as the Soldiers jumped over him.

Sora quickly gained his balance again, and with a swift upward sweep, caught one of the Shadows at the back. The Shadow straightened up and twitched, then disappeared in a second puff of Darkness. "Two down, five to go!" Sora grinned to himself as the Soldiers retaliated. Sora held the Keyblade horizontally in front of him, blocking the kicks that were sent his way. He hooked the Keyblade around the foot of one of the Soldiers, then shoved it backwards. Before he could land a fatal blow, the remaining four Heartless were back. Sora dodged to the side with a jump to the left, and thrust out the Keyblade.

It swung successfully in a long arc, and caught one of the Shadows and one of the Soldiers around the middle. Like a boomerang, the Keyblade began to swing back but not before one of the Soldiers danced over to Sora. It raised its hand, ready to strike, when the Keyblade swung itself through the Soldier's body to return to its owners hand. The Soldier disappeared, leaving only three of the Heartless left. The Shadow sunk itself back into the dark cobblestone and began to crawl around, immune to any physical attacks.

The Soldiers danced over to Sora and aimed two attacks for his head. Sora dropped to the ground and avoided the first, and then brought the Keyblade upwards and slashed through the second Soldier – splitting it in two. The Soldier twitched and disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Sora spun around and sliced the last Soldier around the middle, and it disappeared at last.

Sora, in his folly not counting the amount of Heartless he had slain versus the amount that had appeared, brought the Keyblade up to his shoulder and flashed a victory pose. "Hah! Send all the Heartless you want, no one can defeat the Keyblade Master!" he challenged no one.

The final Shadow lifted itself from the ground behind the spiky-haired boy, but he failed to notice until a high, female voice shouted, "Look out!" and a giant Shuriken came flying his way.

"Whoa!" Sora shouted and stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the spiked instrument. It flew past him and cut the Shadow through the center vertically. The Shadow vanished in another puff of smoke, as the Shuriken returned to its wielders hand.

A certain black-haired, violet-eyed girl of only sixteen. She grinned and winked down at Sora. "You're losing your game, Sora-kun!" Kisaragi Yuffie – self-proclaimed 'Greatest Ninja Ever' – announced.

**-xxx-**

Kisaragi Yuffie was a sixteen-year old Ninja, and was very proud of her heritage. Although, rumor stated she was a bit of a thief in the past, particularly around the time she first met Cloud Strife, who was another of Sora's friends. In appearance, Yuffie wasn't intimidating at all: She was a few inches shorter than Sora, extremely light and agile, with a big grin on her heart-shaped face. Her short, black hair was captured with a thick, black headband around her forehead, and her violet eyes were always light. On that day, she was dressed in a black vest and a black-light, floral-printed tank-top with a white wristband on her left wrist. Her shorts were cream-colored and the belt that held them up was black, with knee-high Converse on her feet and legs. She carried the great Shuriken over her back.

Yuffie was a part of the 'Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee', which had been recently re-named the '_Radiant Garden_ Restoration Committee' when they learned what the world's original name was. The Committee was led by Squall Leonhart, a former-Military graduate determined to recover their home when they lost it to the dark fae Maleficent some years prior. They had only regained their home about a year ago, and after Sora first awoke, he went immediately to the Radiant Garden and met up with his friends there. It had only been two weeks since the last time Sora had seen her and the rest of the Committee.

Yuffie dragged Sora along through the residential district, naming everything they passed through. "Here is the recently-completed residential district! Merlin-sama's house is here, but it hasn't changed much. I don't know _why_ he would want to keep that annoying pedestal in the middle of the house," she rambled on, though Sora was only half-listening, "and over there is Cid's pride and joy: Machina!" Yuffie pointed to the great yellow construction equipment looming at the horizon. "It's run with the Mako energy from Cloud's home world, so it cuts down on electrical-energy consumed in this world. Over there is -,"

"Yuffie!" Sora interrupted her, and then gave her a feeble grin. "I already know all of this. Why are you telling it to me?"

Yuffie blinked at him with a perplexed look on her face. "You _do_?" she questioned him. "I didn't know that. Squallie never said anything about seeing you, I am going to be _so_ mad at him!" she said.

"What do you -?" Sora started, but Yuffie stopped him.

"Tah-dah!" she said proudly and pointed to one house that looked exactly like all the others. A few wide steps went up to a cobblestone house, with a light toffee-colored roof and a big, heavy door serving as the only entrance. Puffs of smoke rose up out of the cobblestone chimney at the top. "Merlin-sama's house!" Yuffie announced. "Come on, let's go inside!" she said and dragged Sora inside before he could protest.

**-xxx-**

On the outside, Merlin's house looked much the same as the surrounding homes. The inside was different even by _ordinary_ standards. The floors were hard wood and the walls were dark cobblestone with a few windows placed here and there haphazardly. There was a cobblestone pedestal raised in the dead-center of the one-room home, where a high-backed chair and a round table sat. To the farthest wall was a neatly-made bed, and a fireplace, recently lit. Directly opposite of the door was a computer, one of the biggest Sora had seen in a while. Many monitors were placed up on the walls, a keyboard on a desk, and the towers at the bottom. Each one appeared to be hooked up together like security cameras, some of the monitors flashing over images of the Radiant Garden. Books were piled _everywhere_: On the table, the chairs, the little end tables, and the rest spilling out onto the floor.

There were only three people in the room, two of whom looked up when Sora and Yuffie entered the house. To the left of the computer was a young woman in her early twenties, with gentle features and a soft smile on her face. She wore a pink and white tube-top held up with a light ribbon around her neck, and a long, lacy skirt, both decorated with floral print. On her feet were chunky, brown boots and light silver bracelets on her left wrist. Her long, brown hair was carried into a braid down to her waist and tied off with a lavish of a pink bow.

At the right was Squall Leonhart himself. He was about a head taller than the young woman and some years older. His expression was stern, although a bit surprised. He wore a black denim jacket with the imprint of red wings on the back, and fur around the collar. Beneath this, a white t-shirt and a pair of black jeans and black zippered boots. On his hands were wrist-length black gloves. Many red and white belts were fastened around his waist needlessly, and smaller red belts were fastened around his massive forearms. His layered brown hair was short, and between his blue eyes was a long, slender scar crossing his nose and brow.

At the computer, busy typing, was a man in his mid-thirties. He was hunched over with a half-serious and half-aggravated expression that couldn't be seen by those behind him. He wore a plain white t-shirt and an orange girdle around his waist, and a pair of loose blue pants and black boots. His clothes were somewhat dirty, and his hands were rough and calloused. Oil stains dotted the soles of his boots. His short blond hair was held up with a pair of goggles and a lit cigarette stuck out of the corner of his mouth.

"Welcome to the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee!" Yuffie proudly proclaimed.

The woman, Aerith Gainsborough, smiled gently and held her hands together. "Sora, we missed you!" she said in a soft tone.

"Well, I'll be," Cid Highwind said as he spun around his chair, smirking at Sora. "Where've you been all this time?" he grinned.

Squall Leonhart – who preferred to go by "Leon" - settled with a tiny smile and a nod.

"'Hollow Bastion'?" Sora asked. He couldn't resist. But didn't they change the name of their home when Tron showed them an image of how the world came to be – and everyone remembered the true name was Radiant Garden?

"Hai!" Yuffie nodded eagerly. "We've been hard at work repairing this place ever since you destroyed Maleficent!"

"Aa," Sora said after a pause, "after the Heartless burst through and destroyed everything."

Puzzled looks were exchanged between the four in front of him. "The Heartless in Master Ansem's old castle was the only problem to be dealt with," Aerith said, a touch of concern in her voice.

"Ano ..." Sora blinked. "Then ... you don't remember? Nothing about the Heartless Army and Maleficent being resurrected or ... _anything_?" he asked them.

They all shook their heads.

"Stop with the loony talk, Sora!" Cid said. "You know the only Heartless 'round here were the ones in that ol' Castle," he commented, his southern accent growing thicker with distaste.

Sora put one hand to the back of his head, even though there wasn't an itch. After a while, he said, "... Hai. Right! Just, don't think about me! Still a little drowsy after waking up! It was probably just a dream, you know how they are!" in a falsely cheery voice. _'What's up with these people?'_ he inwardly thought. _'They're acting as if they don't remember the last time we saw each other. It's only been two weeks!'_

Hollow Bastion was originally a home world to Ansem the Wise, who was King. When his apprentices fell to Darkness and Heartless took over the world, Maleficent gained control and used it as her headquarters. A fourteen-year old Sora came along and defeated her, allowing the others presently before him to take back their previous home and change it into what it is then while Sora slept. His induced-sleep was because of the events at Castle Oblivion to repair his', Donald's and Goofy's fractured memories. Right after he woke up in Twilight Town, Sora returned to Hollow Bastion.

He didn't get it. He had already _seen_ everything and been through it all. He was getting a serious case of deja vu, and he knew exactly why. But why didn't everyone else remember?

**-xxx-**

Yuna, Rikku and Paine were three treasure fanatics that had only recently come into the picture. They were small sprites from a different world altogether, that had recently agreed to join Leon's side in the ever-continuing war against the Heartless.

Their leader was the patient and modest Yuna, who was only six inches tall and used a winged hair-clip to keep herself afloat. Her eyes were mismatched in colors of blue and green and her brown hair was only level with the tip of her chin. Underneath the body of her hair was a patch that had been grown out longer, stopping somewhere around her knees, and was bound tightly with a long red cloth. She was dressed in a white and pink tank-top with a pink hoodie, and a yellow wristband around her left arm. She wore a pleated blue skirt with a long, white and blue scarf flowing down across her left hip clear down to her knees. On her feet were knee-high blue boots.

Rikku was Yuna's cousin, an energetic and upbeat fae whose name resembled that of Sora's best friend, Akeru Riku. Her eyes were both a sea-green with swirled pupils, and her blond hair was piled on top of her head in a braided ponytail that swung down to her knees. A blue bandanna was wrapped around her forehead. Her top was a lacy goldenrod top with pale yellow sleeves that bared her shoulders, with a goldenrod skirt and pale yellow bows on her hips. She wore pale yellow stockings on her legs and a pair of cream and navy blue boots, with an orange-to-red scarf hanging around her shoulders, acting like a pair of Phoenix's wings.

Paine was not related to either of them, and was the stoic, detached fighter in the group. Her pale-silver hair was swooped back from her face and kept short, with a few strands falling into her blood-red eyes. All that she wore was a black scarf around one shoulder and fastened with a skull under the opposite arm over a black tank-top. Her shorts were black and held up with a black belt and a large skull buckle, with a second red belt dangling loosely off her waist. On her arms were elbow-length black gloves and on her legs were black stockings, and a pair of chunky black boots. A set of demonic wings from her back kept her in the air.

They had nicknamed themselves "YuRiPa", after the first letters in each of their names. Despite their small sizes, they were up to the adventure of treasure-hunting, which was exactly why they had wound up in Hollow Bastion - "Radiant Garden", according to Sora. And when the three appeared in golden lights inside Merlin's house, no one seemed to notice in surprise but Sora, who had not been expecting them at all and jumped three feet in the air.

"Leon!" Yuna said as soon as the girls materialized.

"Hm?" Leon looked up at them.

"There's trouble!" Rikku said. Despite their dark news, she said this with an upbeat grin and pumped her fist in the air.

Paine brushed her bangs out of her eyes, where they settled in the same place as before. "Yeah, so you better hurry," she said without enthusiasm.

Leon fell quiet, a look of thought upon his face.

Sora, however, inspected the girls closely and approached them. "Yuna, Rikku, Paine!" he said after a moment. "Do ... you know who I am?" he asked.

The girls twirled around to face him. They looked thoughtful. Rikku even flew forward and inspected Sora from all signs. She returned to Yuna and Paine and whispered something Sora couldn't hear. After nearly a full minute, Yuna bowed and said, "Gomen nasai, but we don't know who you are. Ano, should we?" she finished hesitantly.

Sora sighed. "Iie ..." he lied.

Leon interrupted them. "Socializing can wait for later," he said sternly, "but right now we have to deal with the Heartless. What's the problem?" he asked the trio of treasure hunters.

"The Heartless," Yuna began.

"There's a lot of them!" Rikku continued.

"And they're getting restless," Paine finished.

"Sora and I will head over to check on them ourselves," Leon said, and then turned around. "Aerith, Yuffie; head back into town and gather as many Potions, Ethers and other items as you can get – we'll probably be needing them in the near future," and he handed Yuffie a small but full bag of munny, "Cid, get to work on that program. Make sure the CLAYMORE system has absolutely no problems with it and, if possible, upgrade it to take out any Heartless it can reach."

As Leon proceeded towards the door, the girls impatiently asked, "Hey! What about us?"

Leon stopped and glanced up at them. "Warn the townsfolk," he ordered.

Yuna and Paine nodded and disappeared without a word. Rikku disappeared last, muttering something like, "'Warn the townsfolk'? That is _so_ lame," before she disappeared in a final flash of golden light.

They weren't the only ones unhappy. Cid turned back to the computer and began to type faster than Sora could read, all the while muttering, "Ordering me around? Hmph! Kid's got some nerve!"

Yuffie seemed rather giddy to be trusted with so much munny as she and Aerith began to leave, Aerith calling after her, "Yuffie! Wait for me!" as they left.

"Come on, Sora," Leon told Sora as he left the house.

Sora gasped and quickly ran after Leon, who was leaving him behind.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora, Leon and Aerith leave to check on the Heartless Manufacturing Machine on a hunch. The news they find is dark, but Sora's clumsiness manages to slow the Heartless down a bit.

Next time!


	6. Darkness Eruption

**Act VI **

_**darkness eruption**_

Leon walked quickly, and Sora had to jog to keep up with him. He kept his eyes fixed ahead of him with the steel Gunblade settled on his shoulder. It was only a short trek from Merlin's house to the Bailey – where Sora assumed that was where Leon was taking him, because that's where they had gone some weeks before on his first visit to the newly-constructed Radiant Garden – and Leon hardly spoke the whole time they walked.

There weren't many people. In fact, it didn't seem like there were _any_ people out now. Sora glanced back and forth; he naturally assumed that YuRiPa had done their job in warning the entire village of what was going to happen.

Leon led Sora away from the district and up a set of stairs, then down a shorter set of stairs into an area sectioned off from the public. Just further away, the Construction continued: Large, heavy pieces of machina could be seen working in the distance, around the area where Leon-tachi had first discovered Ansem the Wise's secret laboratory. The walls were intact, unlike the last time Sora had seen them, with great open spaces for them to look down upon the ruins.

"Look," Leon ordered as soon as they arrived.

Sora did – sure enough, the ground surrounding the ruins was completely black. More than that, it was _moving_. Little dots of color could be seen here and there, yet Sora's expression remained the same. Inwardly, he was frowning. _'This is exactly the same as what happened before. Why!?'_ he thought, impatient.

"You're not surprised," Leon said, although it sounded more like a question.

Sora feigned a serious expression and shook his head. "Ano ... iie. The Heartless ... well, er ... there was a lot of them in Hollow Bastion when I first arrived," he settled on that lie, "and that Heartless Manufacturing Machine ... I get the feeling Maleficent was using that up until the time I defeated her."

Leon's expression relaxed a little and settled into a perplexed look. "You know about the Heartless Manufacturing Machine?"

"Er, yeah ..." Sora said hesitantly. He bit his lower lip. "Y'see ... King Mickey warned me about it! The last time we spoke in, uh, Twilight Town!"

Leon watched him. Sora was afraid he wouldn't believe it until the older man nodded. "I see. I haven't seen him in a while; I hope he's doing alright." he said.

"We should get back and warn the others," Sora suggested quickly. He already felt awful about lying to Leon like he was.

Leon nodded and they turned around only to find spots of black appearing all over the Bailey: On the floor, ceiling and walls. It was like something out of a horror movie, as the little Shadows and Soldiers began to take place in the Bailey.

"Looks like we've got company," Leon said. He lifted the heavy Gunblade effortlessly and brandished it before him.

Sora nodded and held out the Kingdom Key. "I think we can take 'em," he said.

Leon didn't hesitate: Before the Shadows had even located their beating hearts, Leon raised his off-dominate hand and conjured a blazing ball of fire. It hovered an inch away from his gloved palm before Leon sent in flying into the large group of Heartless. The Firaga-spell crashed into the middle of the group and took out two of the Shadows. Sora's jaw hung open before he realized it and quickly closed it: He had forgotten how battle-attuned Leon was.

"Now!" Leon commanded and leapt into battle while the Heartless were still stunned. Sora leapt into the dead-center of the Heartless with Leon at his back. He swung the Keyblade in sharp attacks that crossed two of the Shadows and let them disappear into Darkness. Leon didn't have any trouble fending off the kicks of the Soldiers, parrying them with the short blade of the Gunblade and then striking them while they were stunned. The battle was somehow easier with Leon at his back.

Sora stepped away and held the Kingdom Key before him to block the kick of a Soldier. He swung feebly and missed. Almost knowingly, Leon said, "Don't hesitate or they'll slay you. They won't hold back just because you're a kid." Sora didn't get a chance to respond when a Shadow dashed along the ground for him. He pointed the tip of the Keyblade into the ground and shoved it around the center of the Heartless, destroying it immediately.

He grinned, sweat rolling down his temple. "You forget who you're talking to," he said.

At that moment, several beams of light erupted from the ground. They pierced through the center of each Heartless, immediately and effectively destroying them. The light burst from the ground with a small, metallic-looking orb and then would vanish again. Sora stepped closer to Leon carefully. Again and again, the light would appear and vanish, appear and vanish, until all of the Heartless were destroyed.

"Looks like Cid got the CLAYMORE system to work," Leon said.

Their relief was short-lived when a handful of Soldiers reappeared on the spot, drawn on by the sound of their beating hearts.

Sora started to run for the nearest one when Leon grabbed him by the hood and jerked him backwards painfully. "Don't waste your energy, just go!" Leon shouted and tugged him back out into the residential district.

Both stopped when they saw handfuls of Shadows appearing in different areas, all over the Radiant Garden. Leon stared with wide, blue eyes.

"Look at them! They're not holding back!" Sora gasped.

**-xxx-**

Leon would not let Sora fight any of the Heartless, but forced him to run in between the spawns of Darkness. He steered the younger boy back into Merlin's house. Every now and then a beam of light would shoot up behind them and destroy one Heartless: One, out of many. It became very clear that the Radiant Garden was no longer the safe haven the Restoration Committee wanted it to be.

They entered Merlin's house and snapped the door shut behind them. Sora noticed immediately that the Heartless had yet to invade inside the house: And he had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with the missing-magicians magic. Yuffie, Cid and Aerith were the only ones inside as the loud clicks came from behind Sora, announcing that Leon had locked the door.

Cid said nothing; he was busy typing a mile a minute, trying to keep up with the amount of Heartless suddenly appearing.

"Leon! Sora!" Yuffie gasped in surprise when they entered.

"I'm so relieved that you're alright," Aerith said and rushed forward to check them for injuries. "Leon – you're bleeding."

Sora hadn't even noticed, but when he looked, he saw a wicked gash up the side of Leon's right forearm. It was dribbling blood, but he pulled his arm away when Aerith tried to touch it.

"The Heartless are everywhere," Yuffie said, "but we managed to pick up everything you requested! Unfortunately, we're now broke," she chuckled weakly.

"Better broke than dead," Cid offered busily. "Those Heartless are getting worse. They all seem to be comin' out of that damn Postern, not like the ruins like I had thought."

Sora didn't catch what this meant, but a realization came visible to Leon's face. He quickly unlocked the door and dashed back outside.

"Leon!" Aerith cried and ran after him.

"What's up with them?" Yuffie asked.

Then, Sora realized why Leon had left: The Heartless Manufacturing Machine! "Gah! Can't they give us a break!?" he said to himself and ran out the door, leaving a very confused Yuffie and Cid behind.

**-xxx-**

Sora's hesitation had cost him a lot, for when he finally left the house, he couldn't see Leon or Aerith anywhere. All he saw were the Shadow Spawn, leaking out of the ground and walls and attacking anything they could. Keyblade in hand, Sora dashed off for the Bailey once again. The only way to get to the Heartless Manufacturing Machine was through there, it was located somewhere in the depths of Ansem's Laboratory. Sora rushed off for the Bailey, only fighting off the Heartless when he couldn't break through them.

By the time he reached the Bailey, he had a cut on his cheek and the outside of his left arm. He didn't notice the running blood as he ran through the Bailey, jumping down the stairs three at a time and fending off the Heartless periodically. He thrust one into the wall and continued to run past, without bothering to kill the creature. Sora found the orange-wire gate wide-open, allowing complete access into the Construction Site. Still, he could not see either Leon or Aerith, but he wasn't worried. Leon was a skilled fighter and Aerith was a talented healer: So long as they stayed together, they would be fine.

"Out of my way!" Sora shouted, exasperated, as he struck down two Heartless and ran through. The Shadows and Soldiers was all their seemed to be: It was odd that there were no tougher Heartless appearing, but Sora thanked his luck. Some of the stronger Heartless would be tougher and bigger, and every second counted him a step farther away from Leon and Aerith – who might need him. Sora ducked the swinging kick of a Soldier and leaped over a sunken Shadow, the end to his pathway on the line of his vision.

He came across the Postern as he left the Construction Site. The orange machina was no longer working, and everything was still. Sora tried not to think about the missing people. The Postern was simply a very big balcony with a stairwell leading into the base of a sectioned-off ruin that once was a part of Ansem the Wise's castle. Sora raced across the orange platform, where the Heartless seemed to thin out. He brushed right past the newly-created spawn and hopped down the stairs, disappearing into the labyrinth beneath the ruin.

The inside was much like the outside: Pale walls and orange-tiled floors. There was no decoration, the lighting was all pale and electric. Every now and then Sora could see some ruined wall where the orange pipe stuck out. The tunnels all looked exactly the same, but Sora seemed to know his way around them without having to stop. The Heartless were the same, but their numbers seemed to be decreasing. Sora dodged the attacks of the Soldiers and finally came out into a wide, spacious room. Two more tunnels led out: The south tunnel leading back into the labyrinth, and the east that led to Ansem's Laboratory.

As soon as Sora stepped foot in the room, the Soldiers shuddered and backed away. Sora didn't notice until a great Heartless appeared before him: Great and round with a tiny, black head topped with a silver helmet and yellow eyes. It wore a blue and purple outfit with gold string tied around its massive belly, and chained wristbands on its thick wrists. The Heartless emblem glimmered brightly on its belly. Sora came to a stop and froze there: This was a Large Body, a hard opponent if you didn't know where to hit it.

The Large Body looked back and forth lazily, and then its head turned to the direction of Sora. It moved very slowly, but once it focused its little beady eyes on Sora's heart, it began to walk over to him. The walk was unsteady, swinging its massive belly from one side to the other. Sora chanced a look at the eastern hallway, wondering if he could make it in time. The Large Body brought up its chained hands, and Sora prepared himself to roll out of the way, when the Large Body froze altogether.

"Huh?" Sora could help but ask aloud.

The Large Body then jerked forward as though it had been hit from behind. It screeched and with barely audible _thud!_ went flying across the room. The massive Heartless smashed against the wall and burst into a cloud of Darkness, which dissipated quickly.

"Whoa!" Sora gasped as he turned from the defeated Heartless to its slayer.

Poised behind it with one leg raised was a young, shapely woman in her early twenties. Her dark brown hair stopped at her mid-back, pulled behind her ears to reveal diamond earrings. On her face was a frown. She wore a black and white tank-top and a pair of black knee-length shorts. A denim skirt was pulled over the shorts: The front stopped at her hips, but the back trailed all the way down to her ankles. On her feet were black and white Converse shoes, and black wrist-length gloves on her hands. She lowered her leg and smiled at Sora. "You okay, kiddo?" she asked.

"Tifa!" Sora gasped.

Tifa Lockheart looked at Sora quizzically. "How do you know my name?" she asked.

"Er," Sora paused and then said, "lucky guess."

Tifa looked at him suspiciously. "Did _he_ tell you?" she asked. _He_ was a man Tifa had been looking for the last time she and Sora met – which, of course, she didn't seem to remember. "I knew it! He's around here somewhere, I'll find him!" Tifa said, snapping her fingers. She looked at Sora again and asked, "You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you? Kinda tall, really spiky hair ..."

Sora shook his head. "Gomen, but I haven't seen him."

Tifa frowned and looked worried.

Sora quickly added, "He's probably fine! He's a tough guy, he can handle himself against some puny Heartless!" with a false laugh at the end.

Tifa looked away. "Sorry, kid -"

"Sora," the spiky-haired boy introduced himself quickly.

"Sora," she repeated, "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to find him and drag him back home. Nice to meet you!" she said pleasantly, and then left him.

Sora lingered in the spot where he was at, then realized he was supposed to be somewhere, so he ran down the east tunnel.

**-xxx-**

Ansem's Study appeared to have been ransacked. The chair behind the desk was toppled over, pictures had slipped from the places on the round walls and sunk to the floor. Papers were scattered everywhere: Papers and information that Ansem the Wise had devoted his entire self for only to wind up as trash on the floor. Bookcases were placed unevenly about the room, shattering what would have been a warm place to talk amongst friends into a sad place of even sadder memory.

The only exit was an archway with no visible door that broke off into a secret laboratory. The walls went from peach to steel-blue, and the carpeted floors went from crimson to a similar color of tile. Sora took one pitied look around the room and did not see Leon nor Aerith, so he continued forward. A hallway bent around the area with a rail that protected him from certain death: Sora could see nothing when he glanced past the floor. It seemed to continue ever-onward into Darkness.

Another archway led him into a Computer Room. There was a great yellow machine against one wall with what appeared to be a screen made up entirely of visible pixels. Across from that was a massive computer with many brightly-flashing buttons, keys, and screens all against one wall. The window directly above it revealed what appeared to be 'pods' set into the great walls that descended down to somewhere Sora couldn't see. As for what was inside them and whether they were alive or dead, Sora couldn't tell.

"Get it!" he heard Leon shout from past another archway, and then appeared in person, chasing down a Soldier.

With one great swing of the Gunblade, Leon missed and Sora attacked in place. He ran forward and then lashed out with the Keyblade, catching it at the middle and destroying it. As the two recovered, Aerith soon came into view.

"Oh, good!" she panted. "You've destroyed it!" she said and came to a stop. She gasped at the sight of Sora. "Look at you!"

"Nani?" Sora glanced down and realized the startling gash on the side of his arm. "I didn't even realize it was there. I guess I couldn't feel the pain," he said awkwardly.

Aerith walked forward and held one hand over the gash. A warm green light seeped from her palm and into his arm. Sora watched with an expression of disgust and fascination as his skin began to grow over the wound and mend it altogether.

He looked at Leon while Aerith handled the wound. "What's going on?"

Leon's expression darkened. "The Heartless Manufacturing Machine. We came to find it ... working," joyous news had never sound so depressing when he said it.

Sora knew that was not a good thing. That machine did exactly what it had been named for: It produced Heartless. Never-ending Artificial Heartless. Explained why there was a Soldier instead of a Shadow, anyways.

"We have to do something to close it down," Aerith said, "before it overruns our home and we are unable to contain it."

"Right!" Sora nodded and then headed back to the computer. Leon and Aerith exchanged perplexed looks behind him.

"What are you doing?" Leon asked.

"This is Ansem's old computer, ne?" Sora asked. "Well, if Xehanort hacked into it and _also_ helped out in building that Machine-thingy," he rambled on as he pressed random buttons – he had no idea whether or not Xehanort had ever worked on the Machine, but he went on regardless, "it's got to be hooked up into this computer."

Leon was at a loss for words.

"I'm impressed," Aerith said for him, "you seem to know everything."

Sora grinned. At that moment, the computer lit up:

_WARNING_.

It flashed over and over again with message errors and the like, but Sora continuously pushed the amount of buttons he could see. Oddly enough, Sora knew next to nothing about computers and had only learned it all between two visits to Space Paranoids, and it was much different from this side.

The Warning flashed repeatedly.

"Sora," Leon began.

An awful beeping sound came about the time that Sora slammed his fists down onto the keyboard in frustration. A red light flashed over the entire area.

_WARNING. WARNING._

_TERMINAL MALFUNCTION._

Sora blinked at the computer and visibly flinched. "Uh-oh," he said.

"Sora, what did you do?" Leon asked impatiently.

"I dunno!" Sora protested. "I just wanted to see if it recognized anything about the Heartless Manufacturing Machine!"

At that moment, three Soldiers leapt through the archway and took all three by surprise. The closest one tackled Aerith to the floor, who squealed out in surprise and pain.

Sora, without even thinking, bolted forward and swung the Keyblade like a golf-club. He hit the Heartless in the head and sent it flying through the archway and down into the never-ending abyss. Leon easily fended off the remaining two while Sora helped a shaking Aerith to her feet.

"Th-thank you, Sora," she said in a rare, helpless tone.

Leon cleaved through the remaining two Heartless with little difficulty. The beeping suddenly stopped and the red light died away.

Sora looked back and saw the screen was blank. He pressed a few buttons and then said, "Looks like it shut itself down," he told the others.

"Then we'll go back into town," Leon said, "and get Cid in here. He knows the most about this computer, he could probably shut down that Machine before anybody else could."

**-xxx-**

With that said, the trio ran out of the Laboratory. They weaved their way past the tunnels, and back out into the open air. As soon as they neared the exit, Sora's heart leapt up into his throat: He heard screams. Screams of terror. It wasn't until they had cleared the Postern and were parallel with the Construction Site that they saw the Bailey had been smashed into pieces. A large hole connected its way into a visible path that led back to the ruins. From there, Heartless poured through by the dozen.

"No!" Aerith gasped.

"We've got to do something," Sora said.

"Already on it," Leon held up one hand and summoned another Firaga spell. He propelled the energy forward, where it crashed into the stream of Heartless and sent the creatures flying this way and that. However, it was for naught as the creature soon resumed their trek through the Bailey and into the town.

Sora tensed. "There's so many of them! Will they ever end!?"

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora-tachi fights through the overwhelming Heartless until he reaches the end, with the aid of some well-known comrades and a few faces he hasn't seen for a while. At the end, he finds someone he didn't really expect controlling all the Heartless.

Next time!


	7. Battle Through Chaos

**Act VII **

_**battle through chaos**_

Leon, Sora and Aerith all ran out of the Laboratory. They weaved their way past the tunnels, and back out into the open air. As soon as they neared the exit, Sora's heart leapt up into his throat: He heard screams. Screams of terror. It wasn't until they had cleared the Postern and were parallel with the Construction Site that they saw the Bailey had been smashed into pieces. A large hole connected its way into a visible path that led back to the ruins. From there, Heartless poured through by the dozen.

"No!" Aerith gasped.

"We've got to do something," Sora said.

"Already on it," Leon held up one hand and summoned another Firaga spell. He propelled the energy forward, where it crashed into the stream of Heartless and sent the creatures flying this way and that. However, it was for naught as the creature soon resumed their trek through the Bailey and into the town.

Sora tensed. "There's so many of them! Will they ever end!?"

"Not if we stand here and do nothing," Leon said. "Come on, Sora!" he said authoritatively and dashed off into the crowd of stampeding Heartless. Right behind ran the unarmed Aerith, fearless against the Heartless even though she could not deal any damage at all.

Sora didn't hesitate and followed them down into the Bailey. Leon cleaved through the Shadows without much problem, slicing each down in only one or two strikes. Sora would have to stop each time he picked a fight with a Shadow and battle selectively: His strength was not as good as Leon's, and he was starting to lament it. A Shadow wheeled about onto him and Sora dashed through it and struck down the creature. In its place jumped two more: Sora handled them both and cut through them in a strong attack that rang the Keyblade all the way up to his elbows.

The pain of the force seemed to propel him backwards, but Sora continued to fight. With each step, he brought one Shadow down and in its place, would jump two more. Before long, his arms were beginning to hurt from the force he produced and the constant fight he was in. He had forgotten just how tiresome it was to cleave through so many Shadows – lowest form of Heartless or not – without any breaks in between. Nevertheless, Sora was spurred on to see Leon and Aerith both fighting and he continued to for as long as he could.

A Shadow jumped down from higher ground and landed on Sora's shoulder. "Gah!" Sora suddenly shouted out loud as the creature wrestled him to the ground. Shadows were popping up all around them; he couldn't even see where Leon or Aerith were.

At that moment, he felt a shudder on his back and then a cloud of Darkness engulfed him. Sora gasped and choked: He had never tasted that smoke before and now he knew, it tasted like ash. Sora made a noise and looked up: There stood Cid, Yuffie and Merlin.

Merlin was a tall, feebly-looking wizard with a sweeping waist-length beard and hair. Half-moon spectacles sat on his crooked nose, and he wore a set of long, dodger blue robes and a matching, pointed hat. In one of his long, bony hands was an unmistakable wand: A stick of enchanted wood spouting of flames, ice and thunder at all sorts of opponents.

Yuffie's Shuriken went flying through the air and took out two Heartless. Cid was poised with a great machine gun that seemed to have been made by himself. He was grinning at Sora with an air of triumph: Sora supposed he was his savior.

"Keep goin', kid! We got your back!" Cid shouted as Yuffie leaped out-of-view.

Sora nodded and then bolted through the growing amount of Heartless. He struck the Shadows that came close. "Leon! Aerith!" he shouted, but now he could not see them. Fear of the unknown swept over Sora, but he knew – somehow, he just _knew_ – that he had to continue forward. Sora took out as many Heartless as he could as he ran through the broken hole of the Bailey. The Shadows seemed to thin out, and were held up in great patches along the path ahead of him.

The ground went from cobblestone and pavement to a set of three stairs and a great tiled mosaic: Blue and green, of a design that Sora could not place. From here, he could see the Castle Ruins clearly. There were less Shadows in this area: An odd gap that Sora wasn't sure what to think of. Here, was where Sora faced Demyx of the Organization for the last time. In that fight, Demyx was defeated and no doubt, disappeared into Darkness like the Heartless.

Sora pursued forward, forgetting all about going out of his way to clear the area of the Heartless. Soon, the mosaic became a dirty, less-traveled path that would have led him straight to the ruins. He paused, however, when a Shadow went flying straight for him. Sora braced himself and struck the Keyblade right through its center – killing it instantly.

Behind the Shadow, Sora realized its source of flight was the teeny-bopping trio he had encountered earlier. "Yuna! Rikku! Paine!" Sora exclaimed.

The girls looked up; Yuna and Rikku looked flustered, but Paine seemed apathetic. "Sora!" Rikku gasped.

"What're you doing here?" Sora asked.

Rikku kicked at the air. "Isn't it obvious!?" she raged in her tiny voice. "Maleficent ditched us! _Ditched us_! How lame is that?"

"Yeah, totally lame," Paine agreed in a less-than-enthusiastic voice.

"Guys!" Yuna attempted to hush them, but Sora had already heard.

"Oops," Rikku put both her small hands over her mouth.

Sora grinned. "Don't worry. I'll forgive you, this time," he said cheerily, "but ... if you're looking for a side that won't ditch you, try Leon-tachi."

"Leon?" Yuna asked.

Sora nodded. "Aa. I assure you, somewhere ... they're out here fighting. They wouldn't leave you to perish like Maleficent would."

"Really?" Yuna asked, sounding interested.

"Hold up," Rikku intervened and flew close to Sora, "we're here for treasure, and treasure only."

Sora panicked. "Leon's got plenty of treasure!" he said.

"Where?" Paine asked.

"... somewhere," Sora hesitated. "I don't know. It's a secret!"

"Then how do _you_ know?" Rikku asked.

Again, Sora hesitated before he proudly proclaimed, "It's _me_! The Keybearer! Leon and I go _waaay_ back," he exaggerated greatly – he had only known Leon for a year, "and we've saved each other loads of time."

He could tell they weren't buying it, so Sora said, "Yuffie-chan told me."

The girls all nodded understandingly.

Rikku said out of nowhere, "I like Yuffie. She's pretty neat!"

Yuna turned back to her friends and the two huddled closely. During which, a Shadow appeared behind Sora and attempt to attack him. It slid beneath his feet and knocked Sora over. Sora gasped, but the girls were still talking and didn't notice. Sora quickly got up and stabbed the ground with the Keyblade, catching the Shadow around the middle and slaying it before it had a chance to retaliate.

"We're ready!" Rikku said as this was all over.

"Really," Sora said.

"We've decided to join Leon – officially," Yuna said.

"Sorry about the whole deceiving-you-for-Maleficent-thing," Rikku said, as though the whole thing would just blow over in a few days.

"So long as Leon proves to be as good to his word as he seems to be," Paine added.

The girls grinned and then disappeared in three flashes of gold light.

**-xxx-**

Sora was left to continue down the winding trail all by himself. Somehow, knowing that YuRiPa had decided to fully-join Leon's side made it a little easier to fight. _'Still,'_ Sora thought as he struck down a Shadow and began to run, _'why is it that they were betraying him in the first place? Didn't we already clear this already? We had! Donald promised them a lot of treasure and they found out that he was lying,'_ he thought with a frown. Hopefully, he would learn soon.

At that moment, Shadows sprung up from the ground and encircled Sora tightly. The Keybearer braced himself when a man flew down from the upper cliffs and landed down in front of him. The shock wave rippled through the area: Knocking the Heartless – and Sora – over.

"Leon!" Sora said in relief.

"Get up and hurry," Leon ordered.

Sora nodded and jumped up. At that time, the Shadows were also recovering and half of them sunk into the ground while the rest approached on the surface. Sora dashed outwards and began to swing the Keyblade back and forth, cleaving through two Shadows and destroying them instantly. He could not see where Leon was or what he was doing, but his shouts told him that he was still nearby. Sora whirled around and shot across the ground, mowing down as many Shadows as he could until the last popped up from the ground and caught him off-guard. Sora skidded to a stop with a yell.

Before the Shadow could react, Leon had already cut it in two. "Arigatou," Sora thanked him but Leon was off again, fighting the Shadows and Sora was certain he didn't hear. Deciding not to pursue, Sora turned and began to fight the Shadows growing closer to him. One slid across the ground as Sora stepped away and just about knocked him over. Sora stumbled in pain and used the Keyblade to steady himself, then rushed forward and fluidly swung the Keyblade horizontally before him. The Shadow disappeared, leaving the handful behind it.

A Firaga-spell shot through the air and missed Sora by inches. It smashed into the remaining Heartless and burst upon impact. Sora threw up his hands to shield himself from harm as the fire washed over three of the Shadows and destroyed them. The remaining few stumbled back and forth uncharacteristically, dazed. Sora and Leon both leaped forward and, in a dual-attack, destroyed the small few. As soon as they landed, before the smoke had a chance to dissipate, Leon shouted, "Go!"

Sora blinked and looked around: The area was clear of Shadows. He was surprised at how fast it was for the two of them to take out those Shadows.

Regardless, he didn't argue and continued forward. As he ran, he thought, _'Last time I was here, Xemnas had staged the attack. If this is true, this time, he should be at the end and then this Heartless Army will be over with!'_ he thought.

He almost missed the, "Heads up!" that rang out behind him, and ducked in time for a Shuriken to fly over his head. The breeze ruffled his spiky hair. The Shuriken spun around in front of him and cut down several of the Shadows. More jumped up in their place, appearing out of inky-spots in the ground, and cut off Sora's only means of continuing forward.

Yuffie caught her Shuriken and jumped down from the cliffs. "Miss me?" she beamed at Sora.

"Ready? Let's go!" Sora shouted and the two dashed forward.

The Shuriken was thrown first and cut down the first Shadow. The rest scattered and a handful dropped into the ground and popped up behind Sora. He heard Yuffie cheer out loud as she caught another Shadow with the back-track of her Shuriken. Sora focused on the ones ahead as he dashed blindly into them. He swung the Keyblade in a wide arc and caught several of the Shadows in his first attack. They shivered and burst into a cloud of Darkness. The rest charged through it and slid down at Sora's feet, but he was prepared this time and jumped out of the way.

Sora threw down the Keyblade where it went spinning forward in a neat line. It cut down three Heartless – he couldn't tell for sure – before it back-tracked to him in a straight line. The force made Sora stagger backwards on one foot, but he was ready to take out the rest. Sora ran forward and sliced away at the Shadows, hearing Yuffie's battle screams come from behind him. He attacked the nearest Shadow, while the rest dropped onto the ground. Sora almost missed them as he coughed through the cloud of ash-tasting Darkness, but a lucky Shuriken throw ran through the Shadow that had popped up behind him.

Again, Sora needlessly shouted, "Arigatou!" but received a "no problem!" in return. He whirled around as the remainder of the Shadows popped up, unable to escape. Sora's horizontal-slash caught them around the middle and at the insides of their elbows. The blue gash glowed brightly on their bodies before they disappeared.

When Sora felt a Converse sneaker kick him on the rear, he was ready to retaliate until he heard, "Hurry up and get going!" behind him.

"Oh ... hai!" Sora said hesitantly and hurried off.

The winding trail opened in a great area far away from the cliffs, and he heard battle cries up ahead. At first, he thought it was Yuffie again, but when he arrived, he saw that it was Tifa herself. The martial artist was fighting, out-numbered, against a whole group of Shadows.

"Tifa!" Sora shouted and ran into the battle. With a quick move – dealt out of instinct than actual intellect – Sora brought down a Shadow that had just tried to attack her from behind.

Tifa whirled around and grinned. "Hey, took ya long enough!" she said.

"You've been expecting me?" Sora's voice seemed to have cracked but the assault of Shadows reminded him where he was.

Tifa aimed a well-placed kick to the center of a Shadow's head and it disintegrated around her. Sora dashed into the center of the Shadows and placed his back against Tifa's; which was a little hard, she was quite a bit taller than him. Sora thrust out the Keyblade and his Strike Raid went spinning through the air. He caught several Heartless with the assault and soon felt Tifa leaving him to take down the rest of the Shadows. Sora's attacks brought down the Shadows, but his arms were starting to grow tired and his attacks, as a result, slower.

Sora, panting, continued to fight as bursts of Darkness erupted all around him. He raged against the Shadows, bringing the Keyblade through many of them. He began to feel a stitch in his side. _'Man, this is so much easier when I've got Goofy and Donald here with me!'_ Sora thought with a frown. A Shadow popped out of the ground in front of him, but Sora was too slow. Tifa suddenly jumped in front of him and crushed the Shadow into the ground with the heel of her sneaker, letting it disappear around her. "You okay?" she asked him.

"I will be," Sora gasped. "Been fighting and running a lot, y'know," he told her.

The Shadows' numbers seemed to have doubled-up against them. "I'm sorry to say this," Tifa said as she backed up against him, fists raised, "but it looks like you won't get any resting time."

"Aa, no kidding," Sora agreed.

The Shadows launched themselves into a new wave of assault, when -

_THUD._

Sora felt the ground ripple behind him and it threw him off-balance. Tifa was thrown forward but managed to keep her balance. The Shadows, however, erupted into a great cloud of Darkness as soon as the shock wave passed through them, leaving the air quite thick. Sora gasped and choked and his eyes stung with tears, but he turned around to see who had just attacked them.

It was a man in his early twenties. His blond hair was spiked almost as much as Sora's, but his blue eyes were cold and narrowed. He was about a head taller than Sora, and dressed completely in black. He wore a black turtle-neck sweater without sleeves, and a shoulder-pad on his left arm. Buckles were strapped against his chest with a great silver pendent below his collarbone: What appeared to be a roaring feline, not a lion as it had no mane, but a creature Sora couldn't tell from his position. What looked like a long trench-coat adorned his left side, with a long sleeve over his left arm but not his right. The hem of this cloak continued clear down to his ankles. He wore a pair of baggy black jeans and black boots, with a set of elbow-length black gloves. In one hand he carried a massive halberd bound tightly with white bandages.

"Cloud!" Tifa said happily.

"Cloud, you're back!" Sora exclaimed.

Sora had nearly forgotten, but the last time he saw Cloud was in a duel against Sephiroth, a fast opponent and embodiment of Cloud's Darkness. As for the victor of the duel, Sora guessed Cloud, because both had disappeared from the Radiant Garden before the ending.

"I never left," Cloud said in a calm, almost emotionless manner.

Tifa looked like she had wanted to hug him. She was almost speechless for a whole minute. "Cloud," was all she could say.

"Tifa, stay back," Cloud told her.

Tifa defiantly protested, "No!"

"It's too dangerous," Cloud warned her.

"But," Tifa began but Cloud cut her off.

"You'll get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt ... again," Cloud said, as though some painful memory had come up at the mere mention of it.

"I can protect myself, truly!" Tifa said.

Cloud turned away from her coldly. Tifa looked down in disappointment. Cloud addressed Sora, "Go on ahead. We'll stay and fight," and then proceeded back the way Sora came.

Sora nodded and continued forward. He wanted to say something to Tifa, but he couldn't think of anything, so he just walked on ahead.

**-xxx-**

The end of the trail was almost bare of any Heartless at all. This made Sora nervous: He wasn't sure if it was good or bad. Surely, Xemnas would not want any Heartless around him. He was a Nobody, and Nobodies and Heartless had a sworn hatred of each other.

It ended through a Crystal Fissure. Sora took his time here to slow down and catch his breath. There were no Heartless in the Fissure at all. The walls were pristine and reflected his image at various aspects. Sora knew that the others needed him, but he needed his breath first. Once he felt up to the task, Sora continued forward and came out at the Dark Depths: Which was a great plain of area closed off at the edges by great ice-cliffs. Sora always assumed this was where he had first landed in Hollow Bastion, where the ice floated in the sky and the water soared upwards.

It was completely bare of Heartless at all as Sora continued through. And it was only here that Sora realized something: Where were the Nobodies? He had not seen a single Nobody! When he fought Demyx, Demyx's Nobodies, the Dancers, were all over the place. He shrugged this off and continued until he came out at the end.

Now, he was at a cliff. Sora slowed to a walk as soon as he realized there was someone standing at the edge. And that someone was not Xemnas.

But a woman, a tall, slender woman garbed in a high-colored robe of black and magenta. A crown sat upon her head, horned like fictional Devils', and a gnarled staff in one hand. Her face was green and her eyes were heavy-lidded, purple paint adorning her eyelids and magenta lipstick on her thin lips. Her hands were long and just as green as her face, and her nails were sharp and pink. A raven sat upon the staff.

She turned around as soon as she heard noises from behind. Maleficent gave him an icy, cruel smile.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora faces off with Maleficent in battle. The end of the Heartless war is waged with one short battle that leaves Sora with many questions. Elsewhwere, Cloud Strife deals with his own foreboding past.

Next time!


	8. Malevolence

**Act VIII **

_**malevolence**_

Maleficent turned and gave Sora a very wicked smile.

"Maleficent!" Sora gasped.

"Did you truly think I was gone for good?" Maleficent asked. Her voice seemed ethereal, like it did not come from her body only. "Truly, the Dark Gift can go even farther than that! With powers such as mine, death is not the limit," she said.

"I shouldn't be surprised to see you here," Sora said calmly. He dropped into an offensive stance, with his knees bent and the Keyblade before him. "But tell me! Where is Xemnas? He was supposed to be here!"

"Who?" Maleficent asked. "Don't ridicule me with those imaginary friends of yours. There is no 'Xemnas' in this area, as you can see, it is just me and my Heartless."

"Then tell me!" Sora demanded once again. "Did you defeat the Nobodies? Or did you come by yourself? There should be Nobodies in this area, but there are none."

"I possess no knowledge of what you seek," Maleficent said, "and you should stop talking before you die like the fool that you are!" she commanded, her voice growing louder, and pointed the gnarled staff at Sora. The raven flew away and landed on a nearby cliff, where it watched with malicious intent. As soon as she did, Dark energy began to gather at the tip of it and fired towards Sora like a cannon.

Sora jumped out of the way before it could hit. He was lucky: The energy smashed into the ground and left a small crater where he once stood, sending out a shock wave that almost knocked Sora over. The boy kept his balance and shot forward, the Keyblade poised before him. Maleficent held up her staff and Sora's Keyblade rang off an invisible barrier that shook him down to his elbows. The Dark Fae then swept her staff upwards, the tip catching Sora on the chin, and knocking him backwards. Although he couldn't feel it, the skin on his chin had broken and he began to bleed down his neck. The only pain he could feel was from his swollen lip, where Ira had hit him earlier.

Sora recovered quickly and dashed forward. Maleficent held her staff up once again, but Sora smirked and dug the Keyblade into the ground right before he made contact with the barrier. He slid his body around hers in a fluid movement, and when he straightened up, he stood behind her. Sora thrust out the Keyblade to attack her from behind, but Maleficent whirled around with the staff. Sora dodged, his attack broken, and Maleficent stepped back to keep her distance. She was grinning, her yellow eyes were bright. She held up the staff and sent another blast of Dark energy after Sora.

The spiky-haired boy leapt out of the way, rolling onto the ground. Maleficent pointed her staff at them and prepared a second attack. Sora caught it just in time as he pushed himself up on all fours and then leapt backwards. The energy crashed into the ground, shaking it violently, and created another crater. Sora adjusted his grip on the Keyblade and dashed forward. Maleficent twirled the staff before her, her long sleeves blowing in the wind, and caught Sora's attack. Sora hovered in the air for a moment, and Maleficent raised her hand. A blast of Dark energy sent Sora flying through the air.

He landed on his back. Sora coughed, the Keyblade had landed some feet away. Maleficent approached him cautiously, but her intent glinted in her eyes. "Now watch, as you die just as I predicted," Maleficent announced and pointed her staff down at Sora. A Dark energy gathered at the tip of her staff, this time, much different than before. It was utter black, like the deepest night, and was only a small pinpoint. Sora reached for the Keyblade.

"Die!"

"_Reflect!_"

Sora twirled the Keyblade before him and a great barrier rose up around his entire body. Maleficent's spell reflected off his barrier and bounded upon Maleficent, who shrieked out loud in pain. The tiny bolt shot through her skinny body and she dropped her staff, heaving in pain.

"You ... you _brat_!" Maleficent hissed as she trailed backwards.

"Not so tough without your staff, are you?" Sora lowered the barrier and walked forward. He was lucky, and he knew it: He did not use the Reflect spell often, but he was surprised that it worked so well. Sora walked over to the staff and kicked it aside.

"Fool!" Maleficent growled, her hands over the burning hole in her stomach. "Do you think that staff has all the power? No! It is my own!" she straightened up and spread her arms wide. Sora could see the tiny hole clearly now, and according to the laws of physics, she should hardly be able to move, but Maleficent did.

Her whole body began to glow with a great green glow. It emblazoned itself upon her, growing stronger and stronger the longer she held herself there. The hole in her gut reformed, leaving only green skin to be seen. And then, what appeared to be a meteor shower shot across the sky. Sora whirled around and stared at it with a mixture of surprise and delight, but as it grew closer and closer, Sora realized they were not meteors at all: Hearts. They were hearts, little crystal hearts racing through the air. They shot through the air and sunk into Maleficent's form.

Sora's face turned into utter horror as he spotted this. At first, he feared that the hearts were coming from the towns folk. But he could hear: Only if he slowed his breath, the sound of the Heartless being vanquished. And although Sora could not see it, every Shadow that had broken into the Radiant Garden had grown still. Leon and his group stared at them, quizzically and distrusting, as the Shadows froze. Lured by Maleficent, the hearts broke free of each Shadow and let their corpses fall to the ground. The fleshy bodies sank into oblivion and disappeared from the ground, one right after the other.

The hearts flew from the abandoned bodies and into Maleficent. One after the other, and each time, the green glow around Maleficent grew stronger.

**-xxx-**

Maleficent had begun to change. Her body grew and lengthened itself. Her skin went from green to black. Her nails lengthened and grew, becoming sharp talons. The tight shoulders of her robes began to rip and tear, revealing her now-black shoulders. Her neck seemed to lengthen and her face shifted into something of a snout. A black tail sneaked out from the bottom of her robes and twisted itself around her legs. Maleficent crouched down, low to the ground, and arched her back like a cat as her arms and legs shifted. The joints creaked and bones broke, then regrew to make up for new limbs.

Soon, her robe ripped off altogether, revealing that Maleficent's body was now almost reptilian. Ridges on her spine protruded, and her arms and legs became like an animals. Her face changed altogether into a pointed face of a dragon, with long, sharp fangs. The green glow grew with her body until she became a giant: When she finished growing, she had completely changed into a dragon.

Sora gulped and stared. "Wh-whoa ..." he said. _'I forgot just how big Maleficent gets whenever she turns into the Dragon!'_ he thought.

The first time he faced Maleficent, they were fighting in Hollow Bastion. Sora had fought her draconic form as a memory in Castle Oblivion then. She seemed bigger back then, but Sora had grown since, it still didn't change her intimidation as she loomed over him.

The Dragon roared loudly, a sound that left a piercing, ringing noise in Sora's ears. She stepped back, balanced on all fours, and raised her tail. The tail lashed out, hurling Sora into a cliff wall. Sora hit the wall and slid to the ground, looking up at the Dragon. Above him, the raven – Diablo – cawed loudly as though mocking Sora. The Dragon turned and began to walk towards Sora; each step sent out numerous shock waves that made the ground shake. Sora was merely thankful that she was slow, or else the battle would be a lot harder.

Sora forced himself back onto his feet, and then charged the Dragon. He yelled aloud, just as the Dragon responded back with a heart-quaking scream. That forked tongue slithered out of her green mouth. Sora ran aside the Dragon. The great creature turned her head and looked back at Sora, who had now jumped her tail. At once, the Dragon raised her hind legs and began to shake her tail violently. Sora clung to her tail for as long as he could: His grip slid out of the Keyblade and the gold-and-silver weapon slid off her tail and uselessly onto the ground. "Ah!" Sora gasped just as he was shook free. Sora was thrown even farther than the Keyblade and tumbled onto the ground.

Sora rolled over, his joints aching and his back in pain. He grunted and looked up as the Dragon turned her whole body around. She began to walk forward to Sora, purposefully putting one taloned foot nearest to the Keyblade. She raised her forefoot, ready to smash it.

"Iie!" Sora cried and dashed forward. He grabbed the Keyblade from beneath the Dragon and tumbled underneath her. Behind him, her foot slammed the empty ground and made it quake viciously. Sora clutched onto the Keyblade tighter. While the Dragon looked for his whereabouts, Sora dashed behind her and picked up onto her tail. Her tail lashed back and forth and Sora got the feeling that she could not actually _feel_ him. The Dragon's head was still looking back and forth for any sign of Sora. He climbed up higher until he could grab onto her rigid spine.

Now breathing heavily, Sora stood up with the Keyblade held tightly between his hands. "Oi!" he shouted to make himself noticed. His yellow and black boots seemed to slip a little on the massive, black scales he stood on.

The Dragon stopped looking instantly and wove her neck around to face Sora. Sora grunted and with all his force, bolted forward and slammed the Keyblade deep, deep into one of her great, green eyes. At once, a high-pitched scream spewed forth from the Dragon's mouth. Sora pressed his hands firmly over his ears, but the noise seemed to resound in his head. He stumbled and fell from her back, landing back on the ground. The Dragon stomped back and forth, tail lashing everywhere. Diablo cawed again and flew away.

The Dragon reared its pointed head and then, its whole body began to tip towards Sora. The spiky-haired boy gasped and jumped to his feet. He bolted away from the Dragon as she tilted, farther and farther until -

_THUD._

Her body landed with an earth-quaking thud. Bits of rock flew every direction, one even ran by Sora's neck and pierced the skin. He didn't notice, he was too busy watching the Dragon's body fall limp. Her neck and tail relaxed and then stiffened: A sign of death.

At that moment, her body began to disappear. The skin, muscle and bone beneath began to fly up into the air like smoky ribbons, disappearing into the sky until all that was left was his Keyblade.

**-xxx-**

A breathless and blood-covered Sora began to walk back through the Dark Depths. He saw a lone figure standing there, garbed all in black with a heavy halberd perched on one shoulder. That spiky blond head was pointed to the sky.

"Cloud!" Sora said and ran over to him.

"It's you," Cloud said. His blue eyes were focused on the sky.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked. He followed his gaze upwards: There was nothing.

For a long time, Cloud didn't say anything. He shifted the halberd pointlessly on his shoulder, and then said, "I'm waiting for someone."

Sora soon knew who when a dark figure emerged from the sky. In a burst of black energy and dark feathers, a man appeared someways off the ground and flew down to them. He landed on the ground before them, a smirk on his lips.

He was a tall man, with a pointed face and broad shoulders. His white hair framed his face and cascaded almost to his knees. Blue, sharp eyes were locked with Cloud's. He was dressed almost completely in black, with undertones of blue and red: He wore a high-collar black trench-coat with metallic shoulder-guards and rimmed in red. The sleeves bore draconic wings folded at the sides of his forearms. The bottom sharply curved away from his legs. Numerous brown and black belts were strapped over his bare chest, and his black pants were tucked into the tops of knee-high black boots. A black-feathered wing protruded from his right shoulder-blade and through his coat; two more were folded around his legs beneath it.

"Sephiroth," Cloud growled.

Sephiroth took a moment to glance around the black ground and glaciers that framed it. "What an ... interesting place for a fight. The name of it surely fits you," he said.

Cloud glared and launched himself forward with surprising speed. Sora almost missed it: A blur of black and steel shot forward to Sephiroth. Sephiroth disappeared a second later and reappeared behind Cloud, drawing a six-foot long slender sword called the "Masamune". Cloud parried the long sword with the halberd and then both vanished again. Sora gasped and searched the entire area until he heard a _clink!_ far above him. Sora looked straight up and watched as Cloud and Sephiroth began to fight – both suspended in midair!

Sephiroth and Cloud were lightning-fast. Cloud lashed out with the halberd, Sephiroth parried. Sephiroth then disappeared and reappeared behind Cloud. Cloud, who had begun to fall without any suspension to the air, whirled around and held the halberd in front of him. Sephiroth attacked the halberd and then swung the Masamune low, at knee-level. Cloud tucked in his legs and then grabbed onto the Masamune with his free hand. He whirled his lower-body higher into the air and aimed a kick with his dark boots to Sephiroth's face. Sephiroth disappeared again and Cloud fell to the ground.

Cloud landed on his feet, completely unscathed. His blue eyes scanned the entire area, and then he turned and looked at Sora. "Look out!" he shouted and dashed for Sora. Sora gasped in surprise as Cloud knocked him to the ground: Sephiroth had appeared above Sora, narrowly missing him with an attack. Then, both were gone again.

It wasn't until Sora heard Cloud speak that he realized the two had appeared some yards in front of him. Half of Sora wanted to run after them, but the other half stood rooted to the spot in shock and awe.

"Going after a kid, is that how low you've sunk!" Cloud growled. The halberd and Masamune were locked together: He and Sephiroth were now in a battle of strength.

"Let's not forget that I am _your_ Darkness," Sephiroth replied smoothly.

Cloud stepped forward. He grunted audibly, slowly pushing the Masamune back. He was quivering. "Don't ... tell me! He's just a kid caught up in the middle of something," Cloud said.

Sora finally managed to get his head back where it belonged. He ran forward a few steps and then stopped again. Sephiroth was now pushing Cloud back, forcing him to take a step back. "Cloud!" Sora shouted. He aimed his Keyblade at Sephiroth and a blue sphere appeared at the tip of it. "Deep freeze!" Sora shouted and a hail of icicles shot out from the tip of it.

They bounced off the left side of Sephiroth uselessly, where they fell to the ground and melted. Sephiroth turned his eyes to Sora.

"Don't -," Cloud began but Sephiroth was gone.

Sora wasn't sure what happened next. A high voice called out, "Get down!" and then Tifa tackled him to the ground. A second later, a dark shape (presumably Sephiroth) swooped over him, so close that he could feel the breeze ruffle their hair and clothes. Right after that, Cloud and Sephiroth were suddenly in the sky again.

Cloud appeared to be saying something, but Sora couldn't here. Sora and Tifa both stood up, looking up at the fight. Cloud looked down at Tifa, and then in the next instant, a golden light spread over both Cloud and Sephiroth – and then they were gone.

Just like that.

"Where'd they go!?" Sora looked back and forth, but saw no one.

"They're gone," Tifa sighed. She looked back at Sora. "That wasn't very smart of you," she scolded gently, tapping her finger on his forehead.

"Nani?" Sora put his hand to his head.

"Look at you – bleeding, shaking, you look like you just had a run-in with a Dragon," Tifa told him.

She didn't know how right she was.

"Sephiroth nearly killed you for intervening," Tifa said, "next time ... call on us for help, okay?" she said. Worry reflected in her maroon eyes.

"Did they go back to their home planet?" Sora asked.

Tifa nodded. "Yup! Looks like I'm going home to find that spiky-headed ..." she grumbled something under her breath. Then, she looked at Sora and her face softened. "Here," she handed Sora something very tiny: Almost like a musical box, it was a red and gold treasure chest with a large Keyhole at the front of it, small enough to fit into his palm. "At least, I now know where he is." Tifa said and then turned away.

"You're going to go look for him again?" Sora asked, looking from the box to Tifa.

She nodded and grinned at him, then left.

**-xxx-**

Radiant Garden was in ruins.

Protectives walls were shattered. Wires stuck out from inside, sparking with life. Debris was scattered everywhere. Many doors were knocked down and the windows blown in. Great chips were in the stairs and spare craters had been dug into the once-neat black cobblestone. Merlin's house was the only one that looked as though it had been spared of any damage, and when Sora entered, he found all of the Restoration Committee inside. Everyone looked uninjured, save for Aerith, who looked a little peaked.

"Sora!" they exclaimed when he entered.

"I'm back," Sora said breathlessly.

"Man, you look terrible," Yuffie said.

Aerith walked over to him. "You never think about yourself, do you?" she asked. Sora grinned, which faded a little when she held her hands together and then spread them around them. She whispered, "Heal!" and a warm, green light took over Sora's entire body. The swelling in his lip died away, and his torn flesh was mended together, ceasing the bleeding. "There, all better," Aerith said, "you're lucky your clothes weren't torn."

"Where did you go?" Leon asked.

"Dark Depths," Sora answered, "I found Maleficent there ..." and with that, he suddenly launched himself into the full-story of the battle between him and Maleficent, and then somehow found himself explaining – what he could see of – the battle between Cloud and Sephiroth. It seemed to take ages for him to explain, but once he started, he couldn't stop. The Committee was a good audience: They gasped in the right places and stayed quiet for most of it, save for Leon, who made no movement or noise at all.

"So ... Cloud is gone?" Aerith asked.

"And that's what Tifa gave you," Yuffie said, eyeing the chest greedily. "C'mon, open it up!"

Sora nodded and put the chest on the floor. He pointed the tip of the Keyblade down at it. A warm, golden light covered the tip of the Keyblade and then shot to the Keyhole on the front of the chest. There was a _click!_ and the chest popped open. Almost everyone leaned forward to see what was inside: Sora withdrew a tiny, plain golden key.

"A key?" Leon asked.

Sora gave it a half-lidded stare. "I know what it's for," he said to himself.

"Then use it on the door, boy, and see what happens!" Merlin said.

Sora stuck the key into the Keyhole of the door and twisted it. When he opened it, he could see back out into the red and white room of the Clocktower.

"I don't see anything," Rikku complained.

"Sora can," Paine said.

Yuna nodded.

"Well, ja ne!" Sora waved to them all, and most waved back. With that, Sora stepped through the threshold and disappeared.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora returns to the Clocktower and continues to the next level. There, he meets a familiar woman he knows he had met once before. She explains a few details about the Clocktower, but only suggests something a little more darker. A little more sinister.

Next time!


	9. First Assault

**Eru's Note:** HOLY SHIT.

This week has been long. I feared that the weekend would never come! But, alas, it did, and I am extremely grateful. Even though school's started, I'm determined to keep my schedule for this thing. Man I can't believe I've been working on this for nine weeks.

( In case you're wondering where I'm at with non-uploaded documents, I'm halfway through chapter 31. ;D )

* * *

**Act IX **

_**first assault**_

Sora found himself amongst the dimly-lit room, back in the Clocktower. The black chandelier seemed to gently rock back and forth, casting and shrinking the shadows upon the walls. The first thing Sora noticed was that the purple veil that once hid the rising set of stairs was now gone.

"I guess ... I'm starting to get this," Sora said, "just go through the door and grab the key, and then they'll let me continue."

He was still deeply disturbed: Was that the _real_ Radiant Garden – or "Hollow Bastion" as they continued to call it – or was it just a fake? Sora knew he should be thinking about Castle Oblivion, but they ... didn't seem like his memories. For some reason, they seemed a little different. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

Regardless of those thoughts, Sora knew he had to continue. He walked up the set of rising stairs and disappeared beyond.

This time, the stairs went upwards for at _least_ twenty steps before they leveled out. The stairway was steep, and twice Sora missed one of the shallow steps and just about fell forward. The walls reflected with movement all around him, catching his eyes several times even after he had told himself he was the only one there. The light made him paranoid, and he was happy when he spotted the archway in his horizon. Sora broke out into a run, catching up with the archway with no problem and continuing past it.

Sora appeared in a high-ceiling room just like the one where he had fought Ira. It was more like a hallway, still, with no windows. The carpet lining the white-tiled floors was now a navy blue. The welded pillars and their black settings pulsated gently: The veins had turned from red to the same color of blue as the carpet. Another set of torches and chandeliers lit the room, but a figure was blocking the next set of stairs. Sora frowned, keeping his hand on the Keyblade as he walked forward.

It was soon revealed that the figure was a woman, but not Ira. She had an hourglass figure, with a long slender neck and long legs and arms. Her skin was dark, and her eyes were yellow. She wore a revealing, midnight blue dress that cascaded all the way down to her knees, with a slit on both sides that reached her hips. Around her waist was a jeweled, golden belt with a teardrop-shaped pearl in the center, and a light blue sash bound firmly around her stomach. The top of the dress split wide, curving up around her breasts and then sliding down with sashaying sleeves that stopped at her elbows. Black ribbons tied up over her chest to keep the dress closed, and a black lace collar adorned her neck. Black lace gloves adorned her hands and trimmed her left thigh. She wore knee-high, heavy midnight blue boots with golden bracelets about her ankles, and thick black heels.

Her face was pointed, blue streamline eyebrows pulled forward in an unsettling frown. Her lips were full with blue lipstick across them. Her hair was the same color, with long strands framing her face and pointed ears, where golden hoop earrings rested. Most of her hair was braided across her cranium and adorned with many golden hoops, and then bound at a tight bun at the back of her head. Two long streams of hair were held over her chest. Golden spikes kept her hair tight. A Heartless emblem rested above her left breast.

Sora stared. "_You_!" he gasped.

When she neared, her frown disappeared into a sly smile. "Me," she said.

"I recognize you, your shadow," Sora said as he stopped, "you were the one that appeared in my room that night! You were probably the one who poisoned me as well," he said accusingly.

She walked forward. "Always blaming me," she said softly, "Yes, it was me. But do you even know _how_ I poisoned you? Or even how to get rid of it?"

"Nani?" Sora kept the Keyblade close as she neared him.

"I didn't think so," she said.

"Aa! I know!" Sora protested. The woman came to a stop.

She looked interested. "Then how?"

"You slipped me something, when we were -," and then Sora stopped himself. Color rose to his face.

"When we were _what_?" she cupped one hand around her pointed ear. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch the last bit of it. What were we doing?" she taunted him.

Sora scowled.

"Ashamed to say it, I see," she laughed, revealing small, pointed teeth. "I know why. Probably because of that girl of yours, isn't it? Ah, men never change ..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked.

"Right, you're not a man, you're just a _boy_," the word rolled right off her tongue. Her eyes were cruel.

"I've fought and survived through more than any kid!" Sora said defensively.

"What's that in your voice? _Pride_?" she laughed again. "Pride's a sin, you know. People go to _Hell_ for that when they die."

"Who are you, anyways?" Sora demanded, hastily changing the subject. "And why are you here?"

The woman fell quiet for a minute, and then spoke again, "Luxuria," she said with a flourish, "my name is _Luxuria_. Do you know where that name comes from? Because it wasn't mine when I was still alive."

Sora stayed quiet. He didn't have any idea where it comes from.

"You probably should have guessed after our last meeting," Luxuria taunted him again, "it is Latin. Named for the sin of _lust_. Oh yes, we're all named after Sins in this area. Betcha can't guess which sin Ira is named for."

Again, Sora stayed quiet.

"Wrath," Luxuria said, "the sin of hatred and anger. Oh, but she probably hasn't told you her life story."

Sora was extremely curious to know more about Ira, but he couldn't stop himself from saying, "Stop it! This isn't about her! It's about _you_. Like, why you and the other Heartless invaded my home. Why you poisoned me."

Luxuria began to circle around him, but her eyes were on the walls. "When people poison other people, what do they expect? _Death_. Oh yes, that one should have been pretty obvious."

_'What is this? A quiz?'_ Sora thought with a frown. "Of course, I know -"

Luxuria stopped and faced him. "I know that Ira didn't tell you much about this Clocktower. But I'm curious ... can you hear it?" she asked suddenly.

Sora frowned. "Hear what?" he asked.

Luxuria took a step closer. He could still smell that perfume on her: Lavender and passion flowers. "Then you haven't guessed," she said vaguely. "Then maybe you _can_ answer this: Did you enjoy meeting those duplicates?"

"Nani!?" Sora couldn't help it; his voice seemed to come out much louder this time.

Luxuria maintained her uncomfortably-close distance with him. One of her arms snaked its way around his waist. As soon as he felt her hand, Sora stepped backwards and pushed her away.

"Don't!" Sora warned her. The blood had rushed to his face: It was now beet-red.

Luxuria merely laughed. "Then you don't know! Those people back there weren't your friends. You'll notice a familiarity between all of the places in the Tyme."

"In the what?" Sora asked.

"Tyme," Luxuria said and then spelled it for him. "Those are the names of each room. A Tyme of history; a Tyme of sin; a Tyme of _you_," she said, "don't you get it? They were never real in the first place. Why else would those people have forgotten you? Forgotten that you had _ever_ visited their new home? Only a _witch_ could replace those memories."

Before she could even smile, Sora was on her, the Keyblade pointed narrowly close to her throat. "Don't ... don't speak of Naminé like that!" he said.

For a moment, fear flashed through Luxuria's face. Her eyes were on the Keyblade. Finally, she gathered the courage to say, "Or you'll do what?"

"This!" Sora thrust the Keyblade forward. Luxuria dropped to the ground and stuck one leg out, catching her foot behind his ankle. With a swift jerk, Sora fell over backwards. Luxuria jumped backwards. She was much faster than Ira.

Sora got up to his feet once again and looked at her. The back of his head and shoulders both hurt very much from the fall, but he was able to ignore it.

"You ready to fight?" Luxuria asked him. "Normally, I don't resort to violence, but it's a part of my job-description." she said.

Sora hastily drew up the Keyblade. "I'm not holding back!" he warned her.

Sora dashed forward, ready to strike. Luxuria whirled around him as she drew out the top-most spike from the back of her head. As soon as she did, she lashed it out: Something caught Sora's ankle and tripped him over, then lifted him feet-first into the air. "Whoa! Nani!?" Sora exclaimed, trying to look down, er, up, at his feet.

A long blue ribbon was coiled around his ankle. The tip-most was flat and triangular shaped, almost like the head of a snake. And sure enough, it raised its ugly head and parted a rip that must have been a mouth; sharp fangs were bared and a long, forked tongue slithered out.

At that moment, Luxuria flicked the golden spike and the ribbon attached to it threw Sora into a wall. The ribbon released his ankle and Sora slumped, bleeding, into the floor. Sora groaned as he landed on his head and shoulders, and then toppled forwards to stand back up. Something popped in his neck when he landed, and he could taste a spot of blood in his mouth. His shoulder throbbed painfully.

But Luxuria was after him again, flicking out that snake-like whip. This time, Sora jumped over it and then ran up to Luxuria. The woman drew out the spike and thrust it forward in an attempt to stab him. Sora ducked to the ground and rammed the tip of the Keyblade into her stomach. Wisps of smoke seared forth as Luxuria recoiled in pain. Sora couldn't see the wound, her hands covered it. Luxuria glared at him, suddenly snake-like and venomous.

"Had enough?" Sora asked seriously.

"Wretch," Luxuria spat something black onto the floor. With another flick of the wrist, she sent the tip of the ribbon after Sora. Sora jumped backwards, barely missing it. Luxuria whirled around and sent the tip of the whip high into the air. It came down from above, narrowly missing Sora as it clashed into the floor. Chips of the tile and carpet were torn away when the whip landed, but Sora was already at a safe distance. Sora yelled and began to ran forward again.

Luxuria whipped up her weapon and coiled it around the tip of the Keyblade. She attempted to jerk it out of Sora's hands, but Sora was stronger and his grip held fast. He clutched onto the handle for as long as he could, while Luxuria pulled the ribbon taught on her end. "Give up," Luxuria said. Her lips were now black instead of blue, as the blood began to gush forth from her throat. She looked sinister.

But Sora held his position. "No!" he replied, and then ran forward again. The taught ribbon slackened and Sora knew Luxuria was utterly defenseless, save for that spike of hers. Once he was in more than an arms' length of the woman, he lashed out with the Keyblade.

One second, Luxuria was there, and in the next, a black pool opened beneath her feet. She sank into the ground with a vicious smirk, dodging Sora's attack altogether.

Sora glared at where she once stood, which was now clean carpet. "Gone," he told himself.

**-xxx-**

Sora was left very alone in the hallway, save for that rhythmic beating in the walls. It creeped him out now that he could hear it without the distraction of Luxuria. He had a mixture of feelings at that moment: Shame, disgust, determination, and a number of others he couldn't put a name on it. He was so angry at Luxuria, using her sexuality like that and then teasing him about it. _'It's not like it really counts though,'_ he thought as he clenched his fist, head bowed, _'I mean, I shouldn't be getting so worked up over that. It was just a kiss!'_

_'But it _wasn't_ just a kiss,'_ the other half of himself reminded him. _'It was your first.'_

Sora shook those thoughts out of his head and quickly turned around. The Gothic numbers forming '0:00' could now clearly be seen.

Keyblade in hand, Sora headed forward and walked up the stairs. The lights reflected off the ceiling, and the rhythmic beating could be heard even louder. The stairs rose a bit and then began to sink even farther than they had risen. Sora couldn't suppress his perplexed look when the stairs began to descend without any warning. He kept his eyes on his feet: The stairs were shallow and short, and if he missed, he would be in more pain then he was then.

And they continued like this for a while, so long, in fact, that Sora was certain he could see the original set of stairs he had taken to the 'Tyme' (as Luxuria put it) of Radiant Garden. It was only then that the stairs smoothed out into a walkway, rose several more steps, and then he spotted the archway before him. Sora hurried to the end, distracted and paranoid of the lights that reflected all around him.

He came out in another small room, the ceiling high. The pillars now pulsated with blue veins to match the ones before, and the chandelier hung low, the blue candles burning with life. A purple veil was cast over the stairs opposite of him, beneath the numbers '0:00' that shown over the archway. To his left, another door, but this time the numbers showed '2:00'.

Sora knew better, now, than to simply walk into the purple veil, so he turned to the door and approached it. He clipped the Keyblade to the back of his belt and then grasped the heavy door with both hands, forcing it wide open ...

**-xxx-**

Sora stepped out into a well-secluded area. Great rocks protruded around the air, and frozen grass lined the edges. Bamboo wove its way all around the small area, cutting it off from the rest of the world. The great stalks of bamboo climbed way high into the sky, blocking out the edges of the gray sky that hung overhead. The air was frozen to match the ground. Dirt and pebbles were visible, but when Sora took a step everything wouldcrunch beneath his over-sized shoes.

Between the reeds of bamboo, what appeared to be a village could be seen. It was sheltered with a massive wall that surrounded the whole thing in the great shape of a square, with one trail leading south and another trail leading west. Snow had completely covered the lower area, covering all but the trails – where wooden wheels had reformed the path. It lay in banks on the roofs of what appeared to be very small houses. Even as Sora stood, he could see his breath coming out before him. Small flakes danced down from the sky.

"The Land of Dragons," Sora said to himself.

At that moment, he began to hear voices. Two of them, both were male. Sora ducked behind one of the largest boulders and crouched low. The footsteps came close.

"There's nothing here," said one of the voices. Sora didn't recognize it or the second.

"Probably just a bogus story. Oh, look – the wanted poster," said another one. There were footsteps that briefly followed, and then stopped.

Sora frowned.

"So, then. They still haven't found her yet?" asked the first.

"Bu shi. Doesn't look like it," said the second.

"They'll keep looking," sighed the first, "it's only a matter of time. Too bad her father didn't know anything. Could have saved him the heart ache."

"Shi, she has already caused him enough grief when she stole his armor and impersonated an Imperial Soldier. Too bad."

Sora nearly fell forward. He kept himself quiet and clasped a hand over his mouth. His eyes were wide. _'Mulan!?'_ he thought.

**-xxx-**

Elsewhere in the Clocktower, Ira had just appeared out of the floor in the dark room. The Mirror's reflection bubbled to life, reflecting the image of Sora, hidden behind a rock in the Tyme of the Land of Dragons.

"You summoned me?" Ira asked with a bit of force. She didn't sound like she wanted to be in that room at that moment.

The limp figure in the throne-like chair beckoned her forward. Ira stayed still. "Look into the Mirror," came the weak voice.

Ira lowered her eyes and straightened up. She walked forward and peered into the Mirror.

"What do you see?"

Ira kept her gaze on the Mirror. Her expression was tense. "... Just that kid. He's hidin' behind a rock. What's so special about it?" she asked.

"He almost killed Luxuria," said the figure.

Ira gave a doubtful look. She didn't look like she was worried about Luxuria's health.

"Already, he is close to our power," went on the figure, "I am lamenting that we did not take more from Castle Oblivion. Perhaps, discarding his memories would have better preserved her health."

"Why do you care so much about her?" Ira asked.

The tapestries moved against one of the walls. They went still once again. Ira gave them a disapproving look and then focused on the figure.

"I don't, but we _need_ her. She is a subordinate, she will play her part as a pawn. I want you to continue your investigation of her."

"What about the kid?" Ira asked. "What do you plan on doing about him?"

"He will be slain, but keep an eye on him, as well," said the figure, "his power increases when he is in a desperate situation. It is only then that his true form comes through."

Ira smirked. "I see. He ain't so different from us, is he?"

"Look into the Mirror again, Ira," instructed the figure.

Ira hesitantly looked down into the Mirror once again. Her face was then contorted with an expression of misery, but it reflected normally for all those who looked into the Mirror. Ira stared at the Mirror for a long time. Her gold eyes seemed to go almost ... _soft_.

Finally, Ira could stand it no longer and she hit the Mirror with full force. The object toppled over, crushing one wing of the gargoyle perched over it. The mist harmlessly spilled onto the floor and then dissipated into the air. Ira stood there, her arm outstretched, the burnt-hole on her stomach in clear view. Ira glared up at the woman.

"Why?" she growled.

"You are dismissed," said the figure. Ira obeyed and disappeared. The tapestries flickered once again. The figure shifted; the torn skirt spilling over the edge of the chair moved slightly. Gold eyes had settled onto the tapestry.

A smirk appeared. Everything was coming into place ...

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora finds himself in the Land of Dragons. A Tyme where nobody recognizes his face or his identity. But he begins to suspect that there's something foul in this Tyme of China, that something dark has been operating behind the strings. Especially when he learns that China's Bravest Woman has been put on the Most Wanted!

Next time!


	10. Wanted

So, several months ago our computer died. And it sucked, because all of my files were saved onto it.

I despaired quite frequently because I feared that I would lose all the chapters I had written up so far (which is about 33) and I would have to start all over again.

However! Fate decided that our computer would live again. After months of work and many dollars put into this machine, it is up and running and almost as good as before, with some features that are even better!

I am _so_ sorry for the inconvenience. This is not a story I plan to give up on, I've put too much thought into it.

So! Here it is! Act X, enjoy!

* * *

**Act X **

_**wanted**_

_'Mulan!?'_ Sora's mind raced behind that rock. He kept his hands placed firmly over his mouth to keep himself from audibly reacting.

"She _used_ to be China's greatest hero," went on the guards, completely unaware of Sora's eavesdropping. "It's no wonder they can't find her."

A horn blew in the distance. Footsteps followed it, the voices of the two soldiers trailing off. Sora waited until he could hear nothing before he finally creeped out from behind the rock. He straightened up, his lower back sore from keeping that crouching position. The palm of his hand was moist from his breath. "Mulan," he said to himself through chapped lips.

_'I've got to find her,'_ he thought to himself with a frown that was hard to muster: The cold seemed to have numbed his features. _'First, I'll go to the army. Shang-san must know something!'_ he thought and ran off through the reeds.

**-xxx-**

The frozen trailer quickly shifted as Sora came out from his cover. Snowflakes had mounded over the trail into great heaps of snow that smoothly engulfed all the land and its trials. Jagged blue peaks stuck out farther in the distance, completely frozen over at their height. The trail Sora was on was barely-used, so he waded through the boot-deep snow, cringing every time a bit slipped into his black and yellow boots and touched his skin. The only sound for a long time was the crunching sound and the sound of his heavy breathing, but the Camp soon came clearer into view.

The 'village' Sora had seen earlier was actually a camp for the Imperial Army. Surrounded by a great wall taller than he was, with many snow-drifted tents set up around one side. There were wooden structures where the guards sat, keeping an eye out for their enemy. They shivered in the frost, bundled tightly in armor and clothes to keep their warmth. Only two breaks were in these walls for the single entrance and exit – as Sora had grown accustomed to using them.

Even in the distance, he could see spots of black and duller colors where the Soldiers were, which grew and took humanoid-shapes when he neared. It was very hard for Sora to sneak up to the camp when he was dressed in black, yellow, red and blue that stuck out further against the pure-white snow. He tried to keep himself hidden by ducking low into his own tracks, and soon his face and hands were completely numb. He was lucky, however, when the horn blew once again and the guards looked away: It seemed that the Captain had come out and was now addressing the troops.

Frozen from the knees down, Sora dashed to the wall as quickly as he could and flattened himself to it. The guards could not look directly beneath them, or else Sora's efforts would have been pointless. However, he made it in time and stood there, waiting for the sound of Li Shang's voice to carry over to him. He snuck his way to the break his trail would have led him to, and peeked around: Every soldier in camp was standing at attention, backs straights and shoulders back, following a single man with their eyes.

Sora dashed around the corner and hid behind a rather large tent. One or two soldiers glanced back at the noise, but when they saw nothing, they dismissed the sound. His heart racing, Sora lowered himself and peeked underneath the tent. It was empty. He crawled beneath the tarp and straightened up into the warmth. It wasn't as warm as he would have hoped, but it was much warmer with the frigid winds and flakes blocked from the outside. _'I can't believe I'm doing this,'_ Sora continued to think to himself over and over again. His fingers and jaw were both shaking from the cold.

He creeped over to the entrance and peered out. He knew, the best way to do this was to impersonate a soldier himself. Sora regretfully glanced out of the comfortable tent, shabby as it was, back into the cold. He looked around for the tent that kept their supplies and eventually spotted it: On the other side of the camp. He remembered where it was from his last visits to the Land of Dragons, but lamented it all the same.

"Gotta do this," Sora murmured to himself through chapped lips.

With a combination of awkward stealth and luck, Sora creeped from tent to tent, avoiding Captain Li and his troops as much as possible. He cleared the edges of the tent and, after what felt like eons, Sora finally made it to the equipment tent. Without a second glance, he dashed inside and bound the front together so no one could peek inside.

Breathing heavily, Sora searched the tent: Various weapons and armor were placed towards the back of the tent. Around the front were items, oils and matches and things Sora didn't have any use for. He immediately went to the back and seized a suit of armor. _'I just hope they don't think much about my clothes,'_ Sora thought. He pulled the armor on over his clothes and then put on a helmet to hide his noticeably-spiky hair.

"Ni zai gan shen ma?"

Sora froze.

He slowly turned around to find a soldier standing behind him. He had no idea what the man had just said; he knew very little Chinese.

The man, a burly soldier a bit taller than him, saw his expression and changed, "What are you doing?" he asked in the same harsh of tone.

"Ano ..." Sora gaped and quickly said, "just ... thought I heard someone in here! So I came to check it out!" he said quickly.

"I see," said the soldier. He eyed Sora's clothes beneath his armor. "Who are you?" he asked.

Sora hesitated. "I'm ... you don't care who I am, do you? I'm just a new recruit from Japan, and that's all anybody really needs to know! C'mon, let's go see what the Captain has to say!" he said and marched right out the door.

The soldier nodded and left with him. A bubble of hope swelled within Sora as they made their way to the middle of the camp.

Li Shang was a tall, masculine soldier Sora had previously met. He had an elongated face with high cheekbones and a short, slender nose. His brown eyes were shaped like almonds, the irises so dark they appeared almost black. His short black hair was captured at the back of his head, tied up to keep out of his face. He wore the same black armor everybody else wore, with a red cloak thrown over his shoulders for warmth. A sword was strapped to his side.

"... are going deep into the mountains, so gather all that you can to keep warmth. It will be much colder up there than down here, but travel light. We have been given information that the enemy is constantly on the move, so sacrifice all that you can," Captain Li was saying when Sora and the soldier returned. Sora stayed at the back as much as possible and kept his eyes on the snow-covered ground. "We are searching for an artifact that the Emporer seeks. As soon as we recover it from its place in the mountains, we are to bring it to the Emporer himself. We will be leaving soon, so pack now!"

**-xxx-**

Since he had nothing to pack, Sora wandered around. He was still worried about Mulan, but he couldn't risk himself being exposed. He wandered around the camp, asking questions about Mulan wherever he could.

"Have you seen Fa Mulan?"

But he always got the same answer, through various re-phrases. "Bu shi."

"Dui bu qi, but I've never seen her."

"The one on the posters? Never seen her."

"Why are you looking for her?"

At this, Sora stuttered quickly, "I'm going after the ... ano, bounty."

"Too bad. Dunno where she is."

"And there he is! A soldier looking for Fa Mulan? And what business would you have with her?" at this, a stout soldier punched Sora's side. Sora visibly winced, although it didn't hurt next to the armor, he still had memories of the last time he was punched and it was rather painful. Sora turned to see who had spoken to him and gasped audibly. He was dressed in the same black armor with a red cape over his shoulders. He had a wide mug a bit too big for his short stature, with black hair pulled up into a tight bun and his left eye swelling profusely. Sora recognized him immediately as Yao.

"Ano," Sora hesitated once again, "didn't I just say it? I'm going after the ... bounty."

"Hah!" Yao laughed. "Think you're tough enough to go against Fa Mulan herself? I used to know her, she wasn't all that bad. Come on, I think you should meet a few friends of mine."

And Yao dragged Sora off before he could protest.

**-xxx-**

Sora recognized all three people in the tent that he was led to, including Yao himself. Ling was a tall, scrawny soldier with a long face and small eyes. The cape he wore was a thick, heavy goldenrod. Chien-Po was the biggest of them all, a great big soldier with a small face and friendly eyes, garbed in a blue cloak a bit too small for his body.

"Who's this guy?" Ling asked as the two entered.

"Never caught his name," Yao said.

Knowing neither remembered him, Sora said, "Sora."

"'Sora'? Never heard of it. Where'd you come from, Sora?" Ling asked.

"Ano ... Japan," Sora said. Which wasn't that much of a lie; Japan was an island just like Destiny Islands, rather, it was many islands under the same country.

"He _says_ he's gonna capture Fa Mulan for the bounty," Yao said.

"You think you're tough enough to do that sorta thing?" Ling asked. "We used to train with her. She's pretty tough for a woman."

Sora decided not to remark on just how that sounded and nodded in agreement. He used to fight the Heartless with Mulan, and he was grateful she was on _his_ side.

"What would make you want to go after her?" Yao asked.

Sora couldn't look any of them in the eye so he settled with speaking to the ground, "Ano ... it's sort of a long story."

"We got time," Ling said.

"Don't you have to pack?" Sora asked.

"We've got time to spare," Yao said with a shrug.

Sora sighed and settled upon the floor. "You wouldn't believe me," he said thoughtfully after a very long pause.

"Trust me, kid, we've seen some pretty weird things out there," Yao assured him.

"The problem is what you've forgotten," Sora muttered to himself.

"Shen me?" Yao asked suddenly.

Sora wasn't sure how to respond. "Er ..."

"Never mind," Yao said.

"Just get on with the story," Ling said. Chien-Po remained silent as he usually was, but offered a nod of agreement.

"First, I need to ask you something," Sora looked at them seriously. The three settled down on the floor around him with quick nods. "How well do you know Mulan? Do you want her to get captured for a bounty, or are you against it?"

They exchanged looks, but it was Chien-Po who said, "Bu shi. Mulan is our friend, she doesn't deserve to be simply captured."

Sora nodded and then launched into his story.

**-xxx-**

Sora wasn't sure why – he figured it was probably because he had already met and trained with Yao, Ling and Chien-Po – but he went ahead and started from the very beginning. Him and Mushu fighting together against the Heartless, his, Donald and Goofy's arrival in the Land of Dragons, training with Mulan under her alias of "Ping" and so on. He didn't skip a detail, although some of his statements were a bit off from a slipping memory, Sora stuck to his story firmly. He ended with the appearance of Xigbar, Number Two in the Organization and currently-deceased with the rest of the Nobodies, and the summons of the Storm Rider.

The three listened silently. Yao's jaw hung slack, especially during the times that the three of them were mentioned.

When he finished, there was a long pause.

"... so that giant Heartless attacked the Emporer," Yao began.

"And then you and Mulan defeated it?" Ling finished.

Sora shrugged. "With Goofy and Donald's help, of course. But ... I don't want to actually capture her. I want to _help_ her. Can you help me?" he looked at them pleadingly.

They shifted uncomfortably and glanced at each other.

"I _suppose_," Yao said, drawing the word out for as long as possible, "shi. We might as well, but we don't know nothing about it."

"No one knows where Mulan escaped off to," Ling said.

The horn blew from outside. It was a sound that Sora had been dreading for some time.

"Time's up," Yao said, "we gotta hurry into the mountains."

"Hai," Sora sighed and straightened up. His back and bottom were both sore from sitting in the same position for so long. "But can you guys keep it a secret? Until I find out where she is?" he asked.

"Shi, shi, don't worry about it!" Yao said off-handedly and exited the tent. Ling and Chien-Po followed with their own agreement, and Sora, who still felt uneasy, followed them.

**-xxx-**

The trail up through the mountains was not as bad as Sora thought it would be. The troops first headed through a rocky trail mounted with many lingering boulders, so far down that any touch of the snow had yet to fall. Sora walked in the very back of the troops, his head down where others walked proudly in their place of the Imperial Army. He thought about everything that they had talked about in the tent. The small pebbles on the ground were lazily kicked aside as the boy followed the group of men through the trail.

Beyond that trail was a village. It looked much like the camp: A great wall surrounded the most of it, but rather than tents, there were actual houses. They were tall and cream-colored, some with bent wires in their windows and all had pointed and oriental roofs of scarlet. There weren't many people out as there was frozen snow on the ground and on any point of surface that it could possibly reach. Captain Li ordered the troops for a brief rest right before they would be embarking on their journey to the mountains, and Sora hung lazily behind closest to the wall where he hoped he couldn't be seen.

Unfortunately, Captain Li had noticed him a while ago and walked over as the other soldiers departed. "Soldier!" he addressed Sora firmly.

Sora almost forgot to jump to attention and did so at last moment, gaining a peculiar look from his Captain. "Hai, sir?" Sora asked quickly.

At this point, Shang began to speak in a quieter tone, "I have noticed that you have been asking around frequently for the whereabouts of Fa Mulan. Is this correct?"

Sora swallowed and then slowly nodded.

"You were once her friend, is this correct as well?"

"H-how did you ... _them_! I made them promise not to -," Sora sputtered.

Shang shook his head. "Bu shi, it wasn't them. It was ... me. I had my suspicions of you," he eyed Sora's clothes beneath his armor, "and heard you talking to the other soldiers. I heard your story as well."

Sora kept his mouth shut, even though he wanted to ask what Shang thought of his story.

Shang cast a quick look over his shoulder and steered Sora beyond the guarding wall. "Is it true?" he asked. "About those ... 'Heartless' and Shan-Yu? Is it true that you were there?"

"Aa," Sora said quietly.

"No one could have made that up," Shang said, "because your tale is true. Not long ago, the Emporer was attacked by Heartless around the time that Fa Mulan snuck into my squad. Since then, the Emporer has become withdrawn and guards himself constantly with Imperial Soldiers. Not long afterwards, a bounty was set out for her inquisition. The Emporer wishes to speak with her personally -"

"Iie!" Sora protested. "The bounty is for her _head_! The Emporer doesn't care about talking to her and learning her side of the story!"

A mixture of emotions came to Shang's face. A part of him looked like he wanted to scold Sora for speaking so ill of the Emporer, the other part was the shock that he had been betrayed. "You ... I ..." he stuttered. "I have been lied to," he lowered his head, ashamed of himself.

"Then help me," Sora said, "I don't care about that stupid reward. But if we get to the Emporer before the hunters come for her, then I can make that Emporer learn about Mulan's side of the story. _She_ wasn't behind the assault, she was just an on-looker who defended China with her life!" Sora said bravely.

Shang stared at him for a very long time and then nodded.

**-xxx-**

Some time later, Sora abandoned the troops and began down the rocky trail. He was alone, and the armor had already been discarded. Shang's final order still rang clear in his head, _"I order you to find Mulan. We will put a stop to this before the Emporer can order any harm. Make sure that she is safe, I think I might know where she is ..."_

A look of determination was on his face.

Sora's course of action was to head to the Palace itself. As he left the rocky trail, he headed up a northern path that would lead to the palace. Sora ran as fast as he could, even though it should have taken him such a long time to make it to the Palace, he was stopped well before he ever made it there. A set of double red doors blocked off the path to the Palace. The handles were chained together.

Sora licked his lips and began to think of a way to get beyond them. Now, the ground wasn't frozen but fresh green. The dirt was loose. He was beyond the snow of the heights, where the trees shadowed the path that he was on. It was only then that he heard voices.

Coming from an attractive young woman hiding in front of him. She hadn't heard Sora approach and was talking to something he couldn't see in a hushed voice. She had a round face with high cheekbones and a pointed chin, with large brown eyes that seemed almost black. Her black hair was cut to shoulder-length in a jagged line, done haphazardly and in speed. She was dressed plainly in a tunic and pants of gray and green, and a jagged sword was held close to her belt.

Fa Mulan heard Sora's gasp and whirled around. A tiny red lizard was perched on her shoulder with a heavy jaw and big black eyes; golden spikes ran down its spine. "Who's there!?" she demanded with the sword out.

Sora gave a nervous look. "It's ... just me," he said, already knowing her response.

"And who are you?"

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Mulan doesn't fully understand Sora's story, but he's one of the few that really believe in her innocence, so she's willing to form an alliance with him. After pointing at the problem of Mulan's current status, the two break into the Palace - in quite formal attire. The end result is a clash of blades and the destruction of two, innocent dresses.

Next time!


	11. Act of Disguise

**Act XI **

_**act of disguise**_

It was only then that he heard voices.

Coming from an attractive young woman hiding in front of him. She hadn't heard Sora approach and was talking to something he couldn't see in a hushed voice. She had a round face with high cheekbones and a pointed chin, with large brown eyes that seemed almost black. Her black hair was cut to shoulder-length in a jagged line, done haphazardly and in speed. She was dressed plainly in a tunic and pants of gray and green, and a jagged sword was held close to her belt.

Fa Mulan heard Sora's gasp and whirled around. A tiny red lizard was perched on her shoulder with a heavy jaw and big black eyes; golden spikes ran down its spine. "Who's there!?" she demanded with the sword out.

Sora gave a nervous look. "It's ... just me," he said, already knowing her response.

"And who are you?" Mulan asked.

Before Sora was given a chance to answer, there were several explosions of Darkness behind them. Emerging from the thick clouds came four Heartless: An Assault Rider and three small Rapid Thrusters. The Assault Rider was a great centaur with black skin, a small helmet clasped over its tiny head and a red cape over its massive shoulders. It wore blue armor, with a great chest and a very tiny waist. From there emerged what appeared to be a horse's body, which was rather big, but the legs were long and skinny – much too thin to hold up its weight. In one hand was a jagged, yellow and silver spear.

The Rapid Thrusters appeared to be yellow floating fish. They had small eyes and no limbs at all, nor a neck. It had the body of a fish with black and yellow scales. They twitched nervously in the air and shot back and forth like a bolt of lightning.

All four bore the emblem of the Heartless.

"There's no time for this now," Mulan said, turning her blade to the Heartless.

"I'm with you!" Sora said, drawing the Keyblade.

"We're not really going after them again, are we?" Mushu, the small red dragon on Mulan's shoulder, pleaded.

The Rapid Thrusters shot through the air with surprising speed. Mulan fended off their attacks with her blade. Sora dashed beneath them and ran for the Assault Rider. The Heartless reared up on its back legs and thrust its spear downwards. Sora ducked out of the way, rolling to a temporarily safe spot. He straightened up and tried to attack, but the Assault Rider parried his blade. Hooking the Keyblade with the spear, the Assault Rider leered at Sora with its blank, yellow eyes. The Heartless then thrust Sora backwards.

"Wah!" Sora yelled aloud until he crashed into one of the nearby cliffs. His back collided with the cliff and he slid down, strangely, he felt no pain. Sora didn't seem to notice, as he ran forward again to attack the Assault Rider. It reared up on its back legs and then charged Sora. Sora jumped out of the way with a yell, blind to all else that was going on. Not far away, he could hear Mulan's battle cries and Mushu's shrieks. Sora ran forward when the Assault Rider finally came to a stop. With a cry, he jumped off the ground and landed on its back.

The Assault Rider turned around wildly, looking for Sora until it realized where he was. With that, it reared up on its legs and kicked its front legs furiously. Sora clung tightly to the Heartless's tiny waist to keep himself where he was. It lowered itself and then charged blindly through the area. Mulan gave a cry and leapt out of the way, taking Mushu with her. Two of the Rapid Thrusters collided with the Assault Rider's massive chest and disappeared in puffs of Darkness. The last began to chase Mulan, spinning rapidly through the air.

Sora clung tightly to the Assault Rider, doing all that he could not to fall off. "Whoa!" he yelled when the Assault Rider jumped suddenly into the air. It landed and kicked up its back feet (it's hooves, anyways), successfully throwing Sora to the ground. He landed painfully to the ground, when the Assault Rider recovered and began to charge him. Sora scrambled to his feet and pointed the Keyblade at the Assault Rider, holding it as firmly as he could.

The Assault Rider tried to stop and swerve, but Sora spun around on the spot and dragged the blade of the Keyblade straight through its misshapen body. The Assault Rider came to a stop, and then its upper half began to slip away, and both halves disappeared into Darkness.

"Gah!" Sora heard Mulan cry. He whirled around to see her feebly trying to attack the Rapid Thruster, but it was much too fast for her sword strokes.

Sora aimed the Keyblade up at the Rapid Thruster. Closing one eye, he shouted, "Deep freeze!" and released a wave of icicles. "Mulan!" he shouted immediately afterwards.

Mulan, hearing his cry, jumped out of the way as several icicles pinned the cliff directly behind the spot she once stood. The upper two pierced through the Rapid Thruster and it vanished instantly. Mulan and Mushu slipped down to the ground where they sat, breathless, and gazed up at Sora.

"My name's Sora," Sora told her. "Hikari Sora." he grinned.

**-xxx-**

"So ... you really believe me? You really believe that I'm innocent?" Mulan asked some time later. Sora had just finished explaining some refined version of his tale: He had completely left out the fact that he had once met Mulan before.

"Aa," Sora nodded and grinned, "I don't think you're behind the Heartless. I know that Shan-Yu was the cause of it."

"_Is_," Mulan corrected.

"'Is'?" Sora repeated.

Mulan nodded gravely and explained, "You already know parts of this story, but after that bounty was set up, my family tried to force me into hiding. I ran away as soon as I could to deal with the problem myself. Since then, I've been living on my own and been chased by bounty hunters. Ah, but the disguise of 'Ping' saved me more than once," Mulan gave a nervous giggle, "but ... unfortunately, the doors are locked. And those things – the Heartless – have been everywhere. Once, I snuck into the castle but had to sneak out again when guards stormed the place. I saw what I feared the most: Shan-Yu has somehow come back. I killed him on our last encounter, but I guess he's not dead."

Sora wasn't sure what to think, whether Shan-Yu had ever died or if it was a trick of the Clocktower. But he stood up and said firmly, "We've got to break in there! We'll confront the Emporer and lift that bounty."

Mulan smiled.

"Hold on, girl, I don't think we're supposed to do this," Mushu said quickly. "I mean, they got those guards and Heartless all over the place! How are the two of you going to break in there?"

Sora scratched his cheek thoughtfully. Mulan frowned.

All of a sudden, a grin spread on her face.

**-xxx-**

"Mulan?"

"Shi?"

"I'm uncomfortable."

"You'll get used to it."

It had taken a while to put Mulan's 'plan' into action. They had to sneak back to the other village. Why? The same reason why Sora was – for the first time – dress up as a lady. They just had to steal the clothes first. And so Sora was, dressed in a lovely pink garment with lacy riffs that he tried to keep as tightly around his shoulders as possible. He refused to take off his clothes, even though he had discarded the armor long ago. He kept the Keyblade safely under the dress. The whole thing dragged on the ground behind Sora.

The boy had completely changed. Mulan insisted on going all-out, so Sora's face had been painted white with black eyeliner to 'accent his eyes' and red lipstick on his lips. It made his face itchy. She dumped water on his hair before hand and forced it smooth down, then wound up in a half-hearted bun at the back of his head. His hair was too short to do much with it anyways.

Mulan herself looked beautiful. Her face was painted the same way, her black hair wound up in a bun with a comb pinning it in place. Her dress was blue: Sora didn't know why _he_ had to wear a feminine color when _she_ was the girl.

"My face is itchy," Sora complained.

"Stop complaining! At least you don't have to _hide_," Mushu complained from inside Mulan's blouse.

"Mushu! Hush!" Mulan said. "Sora, why don't you try talking in a higher voice?"

"Nani?" Sora blinked.

"To sound more ..." Mulan struggled for words, "lady-like."

"Demo -," Sora protested.

"_Try_," Mulan said.

Sora coughed and then sighed. "Well ... ano, how's this?" he asked. He spoke a few notes higher; his voice cracked on the second word.

Mulan visibly winced. "Maybe _I_ should do all the walking. Now, hold your fan like this," she said, adjusting his fingers around the lacy fan that he held before him.

"Like this?" Sora asked.

"Shi!" Mulan smiled. "Keep your head down and try not to make eye contact. You know ..." she suddenly said, gazing at him with a thoughtful look, "you _do_ look rather pretty as a lady."

"Stop it!" Sora blushed deeply, though little could be seen through his white face. "Let's just go already!"

Mulan nodded and picked out her sword from beneath her dress. With a heavy swing, she cracked the chains open. Sora gaped. She tucked the sword away and then positioned her fan so that only her eyes could be seen. She nodded to Sora and the two began the long trek into the Palace ...

**-xxx-**

The path was long and snow-laden. Before long, Sora was clutching the dress tighter to him. He was glad that Mulan, at least, let him keep on his boots because they gave him most of his warmth. It was rather hard to walk in that dress through the snow, Sora kept stepping on the bottoms of his dress and more than once tripped himself. When he walked, Mulan would coach him and say things like, "Walk with your back straighter," or, "Don't let the bottom drag on the ground." Sora, who had never done anything like this before, had to take it all in stride and follow what she said.

Finally, the ornate red gates came into view and they hurried quickly to it. Mulan walked excellently, Sora never figured that she had really dressed up before because of her tomboyish personality, but he continued to trip and stumble along the way. Every now and then, he was certain he could hear Mushu snickering inside Mulan's dress.

When they reached the gate, Sora's face had gone completely numb. It seemed to take longer than normal to perform the easiest of facial expressions, and the only warmth to his face was his fan – which blocked out the chill winds. Mulan's full lips looked chapped, but she didn't complain. When they reached the grand gates, Mulan reached up and rapped her knuckles on it.

After what seemed like ages, they could hear voices on the other side. An unfamiliar voice. "Outta the way! Gah, would you _leave_? Annoying creatures ..." they could hear a guard grumble.

Sora and Mulan exchanged perplexed looks. Mushu muttered, "Can't believe we're doing this ..." until Mulan shushed him.

A small panel slid back, revealing a pair of small, black eyes. "Shi?" he asked and then said something in Chinese that Sora didn't understand.

Mulan replied in the same language, keeping the fan over her nose and mouth so only her eyes could be seen. The tone of the man turned questioningly when he spoke again, and Mulan quickly answered something very fast in Chinese.

Sora was left feeling out of the loop as the conversation went this way. Finally, the man nodded and closed the panel. There were a few clicks and locks behind the door while Sora whispered, "What did you say to him?" to Mulan.

"I told him we were entertainment ... for the Emporer," Mulan laughed nervously.

The great red gates swung open wide enough for the two of them to walk inside. Sora forgot about his fan as he walked inside and looked all around. The pavement was now a gray stone-tile set up in two platforms, with a river and a bridge between them. The whole place was blocked in by a great crimson wall. Before them was a great, crimson palace with a pointed roof and small windows. Great crimson pillars stood out before the walls, supporting the roof.

But it wasn't the mesmerizing palace that Sora became lost in: There were a heavy amount of guards standing everywhere. They were positioned close to the gate, by the bridges, and completely surrounded the palace. But they weren't alone: A heavy amount of Assault Riders and Soldiers were placed with them. They twitched and searched every moving life-form greedily.

"Sora!" Mulan hissed to him, and then moved her own fan a little bit.

Sora understood what she was saying and quickly lifted his fan to cover his face. The Chinese guard that had let them in showed them the way across the courtyard. Sora was happy they decided not to search him and Mulan, because they would be caught right then. The guard spoke very fast in Chinese, but Mulan only nodded every now and then and kept her eyes on the ground. Sora, not knowing at all what the guard was saying, followed suit.

Eventually, they met the palace and the guard addressed the rest of the officers standing between them. The guards eyed them suspiciously and then opened the great doors. The guard let them go inside by themselves. Mulan kept smiling and saying, "Xie xie," over and over again.

When the doors closed behind them, Sora whispered, "What were you saying to him?"

"Thank you," Mulan replied nervously behind her fan, "But I think I made him upset. I forgot how formal you're supposed to be like this," she said.

Inside, the same slate-tiles decorated the floor. There were pillars inside around the crimson walls. It was just a short walk through the well-guarded hallway, where the guards and Heartless eyed them quickly. The only time Sora had ever seen the Heartless so still was in Halloween Town, and it made him nervous to have those eyes follow him.

When they reached the end of the hallway, Mulan bowed to the guards by the doors and said something in Chinese. The guards nodded and opened the door. Sora wasn't able to ask her what she said because they had been allowed into the Emporer's throne room.

Inside, it was more guarded than ever. There guards stationed two feet of each other, all around the walls, and even more by the Emporer, who could scarcely be seen. The floor became a hard wood and the walls were covered in ornate tapestries, mostly those of beautiful dragons arched across them. The walls were crimson and the pillars were lined in black, as was the hard wood of the floor. Stairs reached up to the throne itself, where an old man sat.

Between the guards that surrounded him, Sora could only see the yellow and black of his robes. The two walked up the stairs and stayed there. The guards shuffled a bit so the Emporer could see them. Sora struggled to hold in a gasp: The old man looked worse than ever. His features were graying and there were dark circles beneath his eyes. The white of his beard seemed to thin out and had grown a bit since the last time Sora had seen him. His almond-shaped eyes were closed. On his head was a pointed yellow and black hat, and he sat with his legs and arms crossed beneath his robe.

"Shi? What can I help you with?" the Emporer questioned them.

"Emporer, sir," Mulan said, "with all due respect. I want you to lift the bounty on Fa Mulan's head."

The Emporer's eyes opened and widened – they were a milky white. He eyed the two closely and then his mouth widened beneath his beard. "Guards! This is the one I have warned you about," he said in a husky, old voice.

The guards quickly jumped to attention. One of the Guards, by the front door, shouted, "Attack and capture them! Don't let them escape!"

"Mushu!" Mulan shouted and reached down her dress. With a wild hand she flung out the red lizard, who flew through the air, screaming.

"Ah! Mulan!" Mushu yelled something else that sounded like an obscenity, but the chaos prevented Sora from listening to him. Mushu landed on the ground and a whole group of guards surrounded them. Mushu coughed nervously and stepped back. "Can't we talk this through?"

"Capture it!" ordered the Captain.

Mushu squealed and dashed up one Soldier's sword as they all tried to pierce him. Mushu shouted again, a long tongue of fire bursting from his mouth and catching one of the Soldier's helmets on fire.

Mulan and Sora themselves were busy. They drew out their concealed weapons and, picking up their skirts, dashed into combat.

Sora found it was much harder than it looked to ever fight in a dress – which was something he didn't want to learn. Faced with a whole squad of soldiers, he wasn't given much of a choice. He unclipped the Keyblade and drew it out from beneath his dress. The soldiers dashed at him, ready for combat. He parried the first sword-strike and pushed the guard backwards. Two more rushed forward in his place. They attacked at once; Sora ducked beneath them and slid between their legs, emerging behind. He jumped up and, with a swift kick, sent them flying into the stairs.

His heart pumped loudly in his chest. His face was a set of determination as he fought a handful more of soldiers. Lacking space, only few could squeeze in their attacks, which made it easy for him to fight. He could hear Mulan and Mushu's battle cries in the background. Sora parried another attack and shoved the guard backwards with his free hand. He felt the breeze of a sword miss his side by inches, even through the triple-layers of his clothes. He whirled around and dropped to the ground. One foot stepped on the hem of his dress while the other stuck out, tripping the guard backwards.

Several more jumped into combat as soon as they could. _'Man, don't they ever end?'_ Sora thought, already breathless. Constant fighting wasn't helping. He tried to jump out of the way of an attack and, while he successfully avoided the sharp blade, he pinned himself not too far away when his foot was still on his dress. "Gah!" Sora gasped when he realized this, and struggled to move, pull up the skirts, and dodge another attack all at once: It resulted in an awkward tumble, a loud ripping noise, and the sword being lodged into the floor where he once laid.

Sora straightened up again, the skirts now dangling from his hips where his black jeans could be seen beneath the skirts. With the Keyblade in one hand, he ran to parry and counter another attack, when he heard one soldier cry out in surprise. "What're you doing, you stupid girl!?" he shouted.

Sora stopped at once and looked up; Mulan was standing behind the Emporer with her sword to his throat. She looked scared, determined and lost all at once. "Don't come near me! And don't harm my companions!" she shouted. "Or the Emporer gets it!"

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Mulan tries to hold her challenge, but Shan-Yu intervenes and battles her. With her head held high, Mulan decides to fight Shan-Yu alone, but she quickly begins to lose the fight. Sora's quick to jump in, but will his strength be enough to overcome Shan-Yu?

Next time!


	12. Death and Continue

**Act XII **

_**death and continue**_

Sora stared up at Mulan, who was holding the Emporer hostage with her sword at his throat. All of the soldiers had come to a stand-still. Even Mushu, curled up at the very top of one of the pillars, wasn't moving.

"Don't come any closer!" Mulan shouted. Her voice sounded terrified and authoritative at the same time. "Emporer – I need you to tell me. Why did you release that bounty? Didn't I help?" she asked. At the last question, her voice seemed to soften and her eyes lowered in worry.

_"Because ... I told him to,"_ hissed a voice behind her.

Sora gasped audibly; a man had just emerged from behind Mulan. He was big and broad-shouldered, with long, black hair and dark eyes. He was hunched over and dressed in many layers of black and white clothes, as though he had come from the far north. In one hand was a sword. The air around him was a wispy and there appeared to be black tendrils emerging from his body. Sora knew it immediately – he had become a Heartless.

Mulan just about dropped her sword. "Shan-Yu!" she gasped.

"Emporer ... tell the guards to leave," Shan-Yu hissed over to the Emporer.

"I want all the guards to leave," said the Emporer almost immediately.

"But -," protested the Captain, but the Emporer held up his withered hand. The Soldiers began to file up as the Captain shouted orders to his team. "You heard him! Everybody leave! It's a wonder how no one is so badly hurt," Sora heard the Captain say the last part to himself. Sora's intent had never been to kill any of the Soldiers – fake or not, they were simply following orders.

While the doors went wide open, Shan-Yu was busy dealing with the pair. He unleashed his sword and Mulan tumbled down the stairs, blood flowing freely from a wicked gash in her right arm.

"Mulan!" Sora shouted and dashed over to her. The black-haired woman tumbled all the way down, gasping audibly in pain. He caught her at the bottom, holding onto her torso to help her into a halfway-sitting position.

"My arm ..." Mulan gasped. "It's bleeding," she said, although Sora was already aware of that. Her fingers clutched tightly over the wound, and soon, the clotting blood began to trickle between her fingers and down the back of her hand. Her sword glinted at the top of the stairs.

"Why have you come here?" the Emporer asked them suddenly. He hadn't moved an inch since Shan-Yu had appeared, despite the fact that Shan-Yu should have been dead. "To atone for your sins?"

Sora looked up at him. "What sins?" he asked.

"Your sins," the Emporer said, "she is guilty of them. Of deceit, trickery and lying. Her heart is black; and yours is too. I can see it," his white eyes opened once again. Sora got the guilty feeling that the Emporer could see straight into his heart. "your guilt and your sin. You've lied about yourself before, haven't you? And you are guilty of the highest sin."

"It doesn't matter what I'm guilty of!" Sora demanded. "I didn't want to lie back then ... but I won't lie now! I know I'm guilty of sin and I'm not pure, but that won't stop me from fighting!" he shouted back.

"Really?" said Shan-Yu with an air of interest. He smirked down at Sora, holding up his sword.

"So ... ra ..." Mulan gasped. She struggled to get back to her feet. It was difficult to tell whether the bleeding of her wound had slowed or stopped, there was so much blood on her hand.

"Mulan," Sora said quickly, a form of protest.

But she ignored him. With difficulty, Mulan struggled back to her feet and flicked the blood off her hand. "Please, Sora ... I've got to do this," Mulan said. Her gaze was on Shan-Yu. "Let me fight him – alone."

"Demo -"

"Bu shi!" Mulan retorted quickly, casting a sharp glance over her shoulder. Then, her features softened. "_Please_," she said again.

Sora didn't like it, but he backed away with the Keyblade in hand. His face was a frown, objecting everything that she was saying. Even Mushu said, "What're you doing, Mulan!? You can't face him like that alone!"

Mulan began to walk up the stairs by then. Shan-Yu stood there, watching every step she took. When she reached the top stair, she kept her gaze full with Shan-Yu's. "I won't let you keep doing this ... to the Emporer," she said and bent down for her sword.

With her motion, her face tilted to the floor and didn't see Shan-Yu raise his sword-arm.

"Mulan!" Sora shouted.

_Clink!_

The battle had started; Mulan stood there with her sword underneath Shan-Yu's, holding off his attack. She flicked the blade back and stepped fully beside the Emporer, who had yet to move. With heavy but awkward sword strokes, Mulan pushed him back further and further. It was only then that Sora realized she was holding her sword in her _left_ hand – but Mulan was right-handed. Her clumsy strokes flailed through the air, and Shan-Yu was able to fend them off easily.

He brought his sword up heavily when there was a break in her attacks. Mulan staggered backwards, now bleeding from her leg. There were many rips and tears in her dress now, but Mulan's painted face stayed firm. She dashed forward again, clashing her sword against his. Shan-Yu parried and flicked it backwards, then hopped backwards onto a section of the raised floor. Mulan quickly followed him. She brought up her sword and struck it against his, forcing him to parry and not letting him go. Shan-Yu tensed and stepped backwards, behind the great tapestry behind the Emporer.

Sora's heart raced; he could hear sword-strokes clash behind the tapestry. But he could not see either of them. "Mulan? Mulan!" his voice quickly raised. He was ready to dash in there when the tapestry suddenly split in two – a tear running horizontally across the middle – and then Mulan burst through it in a flourish of lavish cloth and bright colors. She landed halfway down the stairs and whirled around, Shan-Yu right behind her. They clashed swords again. Shan-Yu raised his and swung it downwards; Mulan ducked low to the ground and stuck her leg out.

The attempted trip didn't work as Shan-Yu stepped over her leg and brought his own up, ready to crush hers. Mulan stood up and stepped backwards. The paint was melting off her face in sweat, blood stained her clothes. Mulan attacked again, dashing forward again. When they locked blades, she leapt up, momentarily balanced on his sword. She propelled herself high into the air while Shan-Yu braced himself for impact. She stuck her leg out as she fell, trying to slam it into his body. He grabbed her foot – which suddenly seemed so small in his hand – and threw her down the stairs, taking her shoe off as she went.

Mulan tumbled down the stairs for a second time. "Mulan!" Sora shouted, but Mulan raised her hand to him. She stood back up and kicked off her other shoe, leaving only on her white stockings. She tore off the bottom hem of her dress and discarded the light blue fabric, revealing bits of her pants underneath. She dashed up the stairs once again. Shan-Yu raced down to meet her in the middle, where their swords clashed one final time. Much to Sora's horror, Mulan's sword was sent flying through the air.

"I got it, I got it!" Mushu cried, leaping from the top of the pillar to catch her sword. He crumpled to the ground feebly, but the sword was in his grasp.

Sora looked up the stairs as Mulan tried to defend herself, weaponless, against more of Shan-Yu's sword strokes. She dodged quickly, flicking blood everywhere, but there was no way for her to attack. Her foot missed one of the stairs and she fell backwards. Sora could almost see it in slow motion – the comb flying from her hair, the paint melted from her face, the blood drenched on her clothes – as she fell to the stairs above him. Shan-Yu raised his sword again, preparing for a fatal strike. He lowered it and -

_Clink!_

Another sound of metal on metal. This time, it was Shan-Yu's sword against Sora's Keyblade. He stood there, suddenly between Shan-Yu and Mulan, holding the Kingdom Key up. He seemed to have forgotten all about the constricting dress he wore over his clothes. "You would attack an unarmed woman while she was down?" Sora asked.

"She attacked _me_," Shan-Yu growled.

"You attacked each other," Sora defended.

He thrust Shan-Yu's sword back and then launched another set of attacks on Shan-Yu. Sora heard Mushu shout, "Mulan! Catch!" and the sound of silver metal being sent through the air. He was too busy attacking Shan-Yu to ever hear if she caught it or not. All else was blurred colors, even the emotionless Emporer, to Sora. He swung the Keyblade up, where Shan-Yu parried it. Locked in a struggle of strength, Sora and Shan-Yu forcibly pushed against the other's weapons, trying to get them to step down. Sora felt his heels drag backwards under the dress, stepping over the cloth. At the last second, he moved his weapon and dropped the ground, swinging at Shan-Yu's knees.

Shan-Yu fell to the ground, tumbling backwards. He recovered quickly, but above Sora came a flash of bright colors – Mulan! She had recovered and was now attacking Shan-Yu. Sora jumped in to join her. Mulan swung downwards but Shan-Yu parried. Sora flipped the Keyblade over in his hand and jabbed the guard as deeply as he could into Shan-Yu's armor. His hand stung; but Shan-Yu didn't go down. He grinned at Sora, who had a flash of confusion on his face. Shan-Yu freed one hand and shoved it to Sora's face, forcing the boy to fall backwards.

Mulan lowered her weapon and jumped backwards. She landed on the lower portion of the stairs next to Sora. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

"Fine!" Sora replied quickly and got to his feet.

In an instant, Shan-Yu was on the both of him. With one heavy sword-stroke, both of them were sent flying into the wall. Mushu screamed aloud in terror and fear.

Sora crumpled against the wall. Feeling painless, he got to his feet again and said, "It's no use! We can't fight him in this!" and grabbed his dress. He disliked the fact that there were so many layers, but he forcibly tore them all up and threw them upon the ground, revealing his former black-and-colors outfit.

Mulan pulled the dress over her head and threw it to the ground, revealing her gray and green clothes. "But, Sora," she said hesitantly, "you're bleeding so bad."

"I am?" Sora asked and touched his forehead. She was right, he felt blood. "I'll be fine!" he said quickly.

Shan-Yu began to walk slowly down the stairs. Sora and Mulan tensed, their weapons in front of them. Sora wiped his glove over his face and wiped the make-up off, then smeared it onto his pants. Mulan did the same.

"Mulan?" Sora asked.

"Shi?" Mulan replied, her eyes on Shan-Yu.

"Let's go to the roof," Sora whispered to her. Mulan looked at him with a perplexed expression, and then she nodded in agreement.

**-xxx-**

"What's going on in there?"

"What should we do?"

"There's not a whole lot we _can_ do."

"Soldier! What is going on here!?" demanded Li Shang as he and his troops came walking through the gates. He and his soldiers wearily eyed the Heartless that surrounded the area. They twitched nervously at the thought of the delicious hearts that beat around them.

"Sir!" the soldier Captain Shang had addressed immediately jumped to attention. "There's a fight inside the Emporer's throne room! Three invaders snuck in and attacked the Emporer!" he said.

Captain Shang fell quiet for a long time, when he heard Ling shout from behind him, "C-Captain! The Heartless ...!" the man whirled around to find that the Heartless could no longer stand it. The Assault Riders and Soldiers began to advance on every human being they could get close to, their eyes greedy for hearts.

"They aren't supposed to be attacking!" cried out one of the soldiers. "Shan-Yu said ...!"

"Shan-Yu?" Shang asked. "Agh! Soldiers! Forget what Shan-Yu has told you! He is a Hun, and will forever be one in life _or_ death!" he brandished his sword and held it above him. "The Heartless are against our Emporer and view us all the same! We should slay them now for their treachery," he said and attacked the nearest Heartless.

Before any other soldier or Heartless could do a thing, the great doors of the palace burst open. Fleeing through came Sora and Mulan, dashing out into open view. Behind them, Mushu crawled along the wall and when he reached the door – jumped from it and landed safely on Mulan's shoulder. Following the whole group closely came Mushu.

The soldiers were at a stand still in shock. "Nothing to see here!" Sora shouted hesitantly.

"Soldiers! Attack!" Shang repeated his command to the Imperial Army and began the battle against the Heartless. Soon, the whole area was alive with the shouts and screams of battle.

Meanwhile, Mulan, Mushu and Sora stood with their backs to a pillar. "What do we do now?" Sora asked.

"Climb!" Mulan said quickly. She dug her heels into the pillar and began to climb. With Shan-Yu rapidly approaching them, Sora had no choice but to comply. He scrambled to the other side of the pillar and began to climb as well. He grunted and gasped as he climbed higher and higher as quickly as he could. Sora never thought climbing trees in Destiny Islands would ever be so helpful, but he was glad he had done it. All he could see of Mulan were her hands, deftly pulling herself higher and higher with him.

On the other side, Mushu shouted, "Faster! Faster! Shan-Yu's coming!" only seconds before a huge _thud_ shook the whole pillar.

Sora glanced down; Shan-Yu dug his sword into the pillar and used it as leverage to pull himself higher beneath them. His heart raced and he began to climb faster. Mulan reached the roof before Sora did and quickly pulled herself up. Sora could hear each _thud!_ from Shan-Yu's sword and it made him nervous. When he reached the top, he tightened his knees around the pillar and reached for the roof.

Another _thud!_ and Sora began to fall backwards.

"Whoa – oof!" Sora exclaimed when he suddenly stopped. He looked up and saw Mulan had a hold of his hand with both of her own. He blushed and grinned, "Looks like it was your time to save me."

"I don't get it," Mulan said in reply but pulled him up nonetheless. They both ran to the farthest part of the roof, where they had a great view of the fight that was going on down below. Seconds later and Shan-Yu heaved himself up to the roof, seething.

"Ready?" Mulan asked.

"Hai!" Sora nodded.

"For China!" Mulan shouted and both bolted back to Shan-Yu.

Shan-Yu deftly parried Sora's Keyblade with ease. He side-stepped Mulan's attack and threw Sora backwards. Sora landed hard on the ground, while Mulan rushed in for another attack. Shan-Yu blocked her attack and flicked her sword-hand backwards, forcing her to raise her hand high in the air and leave herself wide open. Shan-Yu dashed in for another attack, this time to attack her torso, when Sora intervened and popped up in the middle of them. He brought up his leg and kicked Shan-Yu as hard as he possibly could. Shan-Yu staggered backwards, and nearly fell off the roof.

He swayed while Sora and Mulan watched. Somehow, the Hun kept his balance and ran around them, centering himself on the roof. Mulan frowned; her face was pale and she bled more than ever. "Mulan, you don't look so good," Sora muttered to her. She swallowed but didn't answer. Shan-Yu came at them before either could and swung heavily at both of them. Sora threw himself into the beginning of the attack and hit the sword with his Kingdom Key. Both weapons went flying. Sora's blue eyes widened and he stood there stupidly, unsure of what to do next.

But Shan-Yu recovered faster and doubled up his gloved fist. There was a shout of, "Mushu!" and then a burst of red and yellow. Fire lit off from the small dragon and burst all around Sora, who was pulled to the ground at the last second. He felt the warm air swarm past him and engulf Shan-Yu completely. Mulan dashed past him and slid on the ground, throwing her whole weight into tripping him. Shan-Yu coughed and didn't have time to react. There were loud thuds as he fell and rolled down from the roof. He caught himself at the last second, his clothes lit on fire. He dangled there, yellow eyes wide in terror. Mulan rushed forward to pull him back up, but his fingers slipped.

Sora and Mulan watched as he fell ... fell ... and then he hit the ground. And didn't move again.

The Heartless were defeated by the Army. Shan-Yu's body disappeared into Darkness. And for a long time, everything was quiet.

**-xxx-**

Bandaged but sore, Mulan, Sora and Shang all stood before the Emporer. The grave ash of his features had lifted, making the old man look younger than Sora had ever seen him. He smiled at them. "A shadow has passed over me, but it was thanks to the kindness of youth that it was ever listed again. I thank you, with all my gratitude," he said warmly.

Sora chuckled. Mulan and Shang both bowed respectively, Shang pulling Sora down with him. When they raised again, Mulan asked, "So ... Shan-Yu was a Heartless who possessed you, Emporer?"

The Emporer nodded.

"Sir, ano, Emporer-sama," Sora said, which sounded _extremely_ bizarre to him, "I mean ... could you possibly lift the bounty on Mulan? We all know now that it was never her behind the Heartless attack. It was Shan-Yu. And ... I don't think he's coming back again."

The Emporer nodded. "That is the least that I can do. Captain Li, if you could, please spread the word of Shan-Yu and the story that has unfolded here to your troops. I do think that we should prepare for the Heartless, should they ever come again. It is too much to ask the same young man to save us time and time again." he chuckled.

"'Again'?" Mulan repeated.

Sora's heart swelled. "You ... remember?"

The Emporer shook his head. "Bu shi, but your heart does the remembering for us. I do believe you have been told that before. Aah, but you would like a reward, wouldn't you?"

"Really, that's not at all necessary -" both protested but the Emporer raised a hand, silencing them.

"Fa Mulan. China's bravest woman. Would you like to come back and serve me once again?" the Emporer asked. "Unfortunately, I cannot give you a vacation. But your family is welcome here to see you are well."

Mulan quickly nodded and then blushed. She bowed again. "Of course, Emporer," she said and straightened up.

"But you, you need something materialistic," the Emporer beckoned one of the soldiers to bring forth a tiny treasure box.

"Iie, really, there's no need -," Sora protested but the Emporer handed him the tiny box.

"You should leave and continue your own journey of the heart," the Emporer told him.

Sora nodded and opened the box. He pulled out a tiny golden key, identical to the one he found in the Tyme of the Radiant Garden. "Domo arigatou, sir," Sora said and quickly bowed. "But before I leave, about what you said earlier ... about sin ..."

"Sin is in us all," the Emporer said wisely and opened his eyes, they were now black instead of white as they had been before, "but it is not something to fear. It is what makes us human. Now, go. There are people who wait on you."

"You're leaving?" Mulan asked.

Sora nodded. Mulan looked overcome with emotion and ran forward to embrace him. "Th-thank you!" she said and then stepped back, smiling. Sora grinned and then walked over to the doors leading out of the throne room. He stuck the key into the lock and twisted it, then shoved the door open. All the others could see was a hallway, but for Sora, it was a way back into the Clocktower ...

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora reappears in the Clocktower, and gratefully proceeds to the next level. His gratitude stops there when he meets the greedy, fast-talking and quick-witted Avaritia, who prevents him from getting to the next level without a fight. Avaritia is eager to push Sora to the limits, willing to disrupt his once-innocent childhood to show him what it's like to "kill". He's even got a few choice words that disturb Sora all the way down to his heart. Can Sora fight him - and his words - off?

Next time!


	13. Eyes of a Killer

**Eru's Note:** And the first round is completed! Man, this is taking a very long time to upload. But I feel proud it has gotten this far.

With the Land of Dragons done, anybody still with me on this fic has probably realized that I suck at Chinese. And Japanese, for that matter. oxo;; If your eyes haven't bled from the horrid use of these two languages, then it's a miracle. I've ... been rather off while I was typing these, so please, forgive me!

On with the carnage!

**

* * *

**

**Act XIII **

_**eyes of a killer**_

Sora appeared back in the dimly-lit room. He first noticed that the purple veil over the set of stairs had now vanished. He smirked to himself, seeing a pattern here, and hurried on through the stairs. They rose ten steps and then dropped dramatically at least fifteen more steps. From there, it was a long stretch of hallway that left Sora jogging all the way until the end. He hardly paid any attention to the light reflection on the walls or ceiling, but he could really hear the beating inside the walls. It matched the rhythm of his own heart. Each time it pumped, the hairs raised on the back of his neck, but his eyes were focused on the archway that had just revealed itself.

He passed through it safely, coming out in another hallway-like room. The ceiling was high and the pillars throbbed with life as soon as he stepped through. A thick, goldenrod carpet was laid upon the white-tile floor and the veins in the pillars throbbed a golden color. Light flickered from golden candles in low, ornate black chandeliers and the sconces set into the walls. Sora grasped the Kingdom Key tightly as he walked further into the hallway, keeping a sharp eye out for any appearances from the Heartless.

He had made it halfway down the hallway before a voice spoke up. "Behind you," said a male voice. Sora jumped and spun around, finding himself faced with the first male Heartless he had seen.

It was a man in his early thirties, with a relaxed face. He was tall and muscular, but rather lanky and light-looking. His blond hair was cropped short and uneven, with a slim blond goatee off-setting his dark features. His eyes were the same yellow as his hair, his nose was short and straight and his lips were thin. He was dressed in an odd style Sora had never seen before: A mix of cloth and metal. He wore a sleeveless unzipped yellow vest, with metal bars sticking out from the left sleeve and stopping at his elbow. He didn't wear a shirt underneath, baring his chest and stomach were several light scars could be seen.

Around his legs he wore a set of purple baggy shorts that stopped below his knee. Purple straps producing from the top of his jeans dangled around his hips. Bound around his waist was a thick belt with many straps and pockets dangling from it, all bulging in a manner that they could not fit anything else. Amongst the pockets, one was open, revealing the small blades of daggers. He wore a pair of thick black and yellow boots with many purple straps on them, and on his hands he wore light yellow wristbands. Many expensive-looking necklaces dangled from his long neck and small hoops pierced his left ear. On the back of his left hand was the Heartless emblem.

"Another Heartless, huh?" Sora asked, readying the Keyblade before him.

The man grinned. "Yeah, you catch on quick. That's good to know," he said. He spoke with a faint accent Sora had heard commonly around Agrabah. "And if you play your cards right, this might not end in battle."

"What makes you say that?" Sora asked, not easing up on his guard in the slightest.

"Boss has two things for me to do: The first, clearly tell you how things work around here," the man said. "See, Luxuria and Ira – babes they both are – aren't very good at releasing _all_ the information. Those rooms you check out, they're called Tymes. I'm certain you already know that. Those Tymes are digitally-mastered rooms that contain the holograms of the people you know. We used that, lifting a few things from Castle Oblivion. Such as the cards we found laying around. But there were some things we had to do on our own, like actually research those worlds you visit. You know how boring paperwork is?"

"So you guys actually went to Castle Oblivion?" Sora asked with an air of interest.

The man nodded. "Yup, and it was a dump. Can't believe it belonged to those loser-Nobodies. You probably already know that you have to complete the tasks in each Tyme to continue further into the Clocktower. You probably also know that the people you meet aren't real – and not only that, but some of them don't even remember who you are."

"I figured that out on my own, thanks," Sora shot back.

"Calm down, spiky," he said, waving one hand. "What you don't know is why we're here. Why we decided to check out Destiny Islands of all places. If Boss hadn't made such a headstrong move like that, I probably never would have followed her," he laughed.

_''Her'?'_ Sora inwardly thought. "Then why are you here?" he demanded.

"I'm not telling you ... yet," he said, "but I _can_ give you something to wet your beak with. Oh yeah, do you know how annoying it is to sit with all those other people at the finish line?"

"What ... other people?" Sora lifted his head a little. Defense was his last thought.

"Every time you fight and get hurt, that stupid baby starts to cry," the man said and began to walk a circle around Sora, but his yellow eyes were on the walls and floor, "and that chick ... man. Cold as ice, she is. Never flinches, not even when you fought that Shan-Yu guy. By the way, nice battle."

"There's ... people there? Are you holding them hostage!?" Sora shouted. "Tell me!"

"Yeah ... and no," the man said without looking at him. "One's supposed to be with us. The other ... he's more like a puppet. The last, definitely."

Sora didn't quite get all of what he meant, but he didn't seem to notice. Sora was more preoccupied with this disturbing news, and turning to keep himself face-to-face with the man.

"But I've come to make you the Devil's Deal," he said and stopped. "Y'see, the door's are still open. You can run if you want, but knowing that poor baby would just bawl her head off. You can leave if you can live with yourself for leaving those three to their doom. Because when you die, it'll be," he stopped and drew a line across his throat with his finger.

Sora gulped.

"So. You wanna continue?" he asked.

Sora dropped into a fighting stance. "Of course! Now that I've got a reason to continue, I'll make it through _all_ thirteen levels before dawn!"

The man smirked. "Good, because if you do nothing, you won't make it past dawn anyways. By the way, the name's Avaritia," he introduced, jerking a thumb towards himself, "Fourth Seat and standing sin of Greed. You can probably tell that I like my things," he fingered a gold chain around his neck. "I just want you to know my name, because now that you've decided to stay, I've got a fulfill my part!"

Avaritia's left hand went to the open pouch, and drew out three small daggers. They were long and pointed, the handles and hilt rounded to mimic the shape of the Heartless emblem. Curiosity overwhelmed Sora, until Avaritia hurled all three daggers at the boy.

**-xxx-**

Sora dropped to the ground immediately. He felt the breeze of the dagger brush against his spiky hair. Sora jumped back up again and started to run for Avaritia, but Avaritia still held his hand out towards Sora as though he were directing something. "_Magnega_!" Avaritia chanted and Sora realized what was about to happen a second before it did.

A great swirling void opened up behind Sora. It took the shape of a seed, with metallic orbs swinging around. Sora could feel its gravity pulling him in, and he dug the Keyblade deep into the tiled floor. The daggers behind him swung around with the pull of the spell and then shot back for Sora. The void itself disappeared while the daggers came down for Sora. Sora saw this and jumped away, releasing the Keyblade as he did so. The daggers lodged themselves into the ground where Sora was only moments before.

"Too slow!" Avaritia shouted and was on Sora in a second. He flipped in the air, catching his knee on Sora's jaw. Sora tumbled backwards, blood spewing from his mouth. Avaritia didn't even let him fall to the ground before he was behind Sora once again. He thrust his knee into Sora's back and sent him flying into the air. Avaritia dashed below him, gathering up his daggers, and then hurled them at Sora. Sora, dazed and bleeding, felt the breeze of the first two narrowly miss him. He twisted himself in the air to avoid the third, which would have gone through his gut if he had done nothing.

The unarmed Sora fell back to the ground. He hated it, but he didn't give himself a chance to catch his breath: He had good reason, Avaritia had jumped clear into the air and recovered his daggers once again. Sora dove across the ground and uprooted the Kingdom Key. He heard Avaritia shout, "_Magnega_!" once again and the swirling void opened. The daggers shot away from their place in the ceiling and two shot for the ground while Avaritia caught the third. Avaritia landed on the ceiling and then threw himself back down to the floor.

Sora parried the first two daggers, hearing the _clink!_ of metal against metal as they fell uselessly to the floor. Avaritia appeared in front of him and lashed out with the third dagger. High, low, left, right; all Sora could do was jump back and forth to dodge the attacks. It was soon clear to him that Avaritia aimed solely for vital points. His beating heart seemed to skip a beat when Sora's heel hit the wall. Avaritia aimed the next attack for his throat. Sora dropped down and flipped the Kingdom Key over in his hand and thrust the guard deep into Avaritia's gut.

Avaritia sputtered in surprise as a burning hole singed his stomach. Surprise covered his face, and then it narrowed into a look of hate. Avaritia stepped back with recovery that Sora didn't expect, and threw one leg up. His heel hit the back of Sora's hand and sent the Kingdom Key flying. Avaritia jumped back to the last two daggers and threw all three at Sora. Sora jumped high into the air, avoiding all three, and then kicked his foot against the wall, propelling himself forward. Sora soared across the hallway, flipping over and holding his foot out before him.

The Heartless held up both hands and blocked the kick. He lowered his arms and then grabbed Sora's ankle, hurling him across the hallway. "_Magnega_!" Avaritia shouted for a third time. Sora flipped over and landed sideways on the wall. He kicked against it and jumped horizontally across. The daggers were ripped out of the wall and went flying back for Sora.

"_Reflect_!" Sora shouted just in the nick of time: A barrier flashed over his entire body and the daggers bounced harmlessly off. Avaritia caught up with him and grabbed Sora by the collar, along with a fistful of hair. Sora yelled aloud in pain as Avaritia threw him across the hallway. He went in the direction of the forgotten Kingdom Key. Sora landed on the wall and dropped down to the ground, his entire body aching with speed and pain. He pulled up the Keyblade and then ran forward again. Avaritia dashed across the hallway and gathered up his daggers.

They met in the middle of the room. There was the sound of metal on metal as the Kingdom Key and two of Avaritia's daggers clashed. Avaritia's eyes fell down to the third dagger in his opposite hand. Sora gasped and stepped backwards, narrowly missing an attack that went for his throat. He dropped down and stuck his leg out, tripping Avaritia. As Avaritia fell, Sora pounced on top of him and landed on his chest, pinning him down to the floor with his Keyblade held an inch off Avaritia's throat.

Both were breathing painfully. Sora's neck hurt and he was bleeding from his mouth and down his chin. Avaritia was unharmed.

"Don't ... move ..." Sora panted. "Don't ... make ... me ... hurt you ..." he gasped for air; his lungs were starting to hurt too.

Avaritia smirked. "There's a look in your eyes," he said breathlessly, "you look ready to _kill_."

And with that, Avaritia disappeared altogether.

**-xxx-**

Sora stayed there on the floor. He was bleeding profusely now and was certain he was missing one of his back teeth. He wiped the blood onto his hand, feeling his lower lip swell. It hurt every time he touched it. Sora kept his other hand on his Keyblade, glaring down at the floor where Avaritia once laid. His blue eyes were bright, the pupils were constricted and the entire iris of both his eyes seemed to be one tone of blue. If Sora could look in a mirror then, he would have looked like he was ready to kill.

Breathing heavily, Sora punched the ground with his fist in a surge of anger. He instantly regretted it when his knuckles began to throb painfully. "I hate him!" Sora shouted to himself. "I hate him ... so much! Why!? Why do they always have to tell me these things and then leave?" he shouted to no one in the hallway.

Sora's breathing began to break and his voice cracked; he felt ready to cry but somehow swallowed the tears. Sora leaned forward and buried his face into the white tile, away from the golden carpet in front of him. "It's ... it's not fair! I don't wanna be a killer ... I don't ..." he sobbed into the floor.

**-xxx-**

Sora stayed like that for quite some time. It was only when he remembered what he had told Avaritia that made him move again. Sora gathered up his Keyblade, wiped his face free of blood and tears, and then ran out of the hallway. The set of stairs were normal, normal but shallow, and once Sora tripped because he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize where he was going.

The rhythmic beating was his only source of sound for a very long time. His eyes lowered and he began to think about his friends. _'I wonder how Riku and Kairi-chan are doing,'_ he thought to himself as he passed through an archway.

Sora stood under the Gothic numbers of '0:00'. The veins in the black and white pillars pulsated a light yellow color. Golden candles flickered with life. A purple veil faded in and out of his vision before the next set of stairs. The numbers above the only door in the room now read '3:00'.

Feeling more depressed than ever, Sora wrenched open the door and stepped into the room beyond it.

**-xxx-**

Sora came out in an area where it was completely dark. There was no moon and no stars in the sky; it was just a blanket of black all above him. He was standing on a cobblestone road made up completely of dark and black stones fitted together in an uneven pattern. Before him was a great gate, and beyond that was a magnificent castle. It bore many windows, very few of them were lit, and the stone was a midnight blue color that reflected the sky. It rose many stories above him, with rounded corners and a sharp, jagged roof set over the top of the building.

It looked old, not only that, but poorly-taken care of. Ivy and weeds climbed to surprising lengths, enveloping almost half of the castle itself. The great oak doors were closed tightly. It sat behind a courtyard all of stone, where the gargoyles and statues sat in silence and stared at nothing. Wind blew through the whole place; it was dark and foreboding but Sora continued onwards without hesitance.

Fists tight, he clasped the Keyblade to the back of his belt and easily slipped through the great bars of the gate. He walked along the bridge in a lonely manner, trying to shake out the events with Avaritia from his mind. There were friends waiting for him inside of that castle.

Sora made it all the way to the great doors, which were considerably taller than he was. In fact, they were so big, that the handles were supported some ways above his head. But there were smaller handles and a knocker placed so that humans could reach it (as far as Sora knew, it was only humans that lived there ... save for the Master of the castle, who looked nothing like a human and yet, was not a monster).

Sora pushed against the door but it didn't budge. "Looks like Beast's Castle is locked up tight," Sora realized after several minutes of trying to force the doors open.

**-xxx-**

In the dark room, only three people stood. Two of them had already made themselves known: Luxuria and Avaritia. Gula lingered in the background, eating a piece of candy. Luxuria and Avaritia both looked into the Mirror, where they saw Sora's reflection trying to break into Beast's Castle.

"He's not really all that interesting, is he?" Luxuria asked in her soft voice.

"No," Avaritia said without so much as hesitance, "but I hear you've got some interesting news, Luxuria." he looked over at the woman and smirked.

She nodded carefully and glanced around the entire room. "Superbia is on to us. She knows what we're up to. And ... we're losing some of the members on our side. Ira already has been given the task of watching over us and making sure that we do nothing ... suspicious," she said. She let the word 'suspicious' roll off her tongue. A coy smile wrought her face.

"We have a spy?" Avaritia asked. "That's great to know. At least we can involve her better into our plans."

"What do you mean?" Luxuria asked.

Gula finally seemed interested. "Yeah no kidding. I thought Ira was against us?"

"But she said she would help our cause," Avaritia said, "so she'll help it. We can use her to figure out what's up with Superbia and in the mean time, she'll think we're letting her into our cause. We can fill her up with crap and send it on over to Superbia with beliefs that it is the truth."

Luxuria smiled. "I see, that makes a lot of sense," she said.

"It does?" Gula asked.

"Sure," Luxuria said, waving a hand at him. "You see? We can use her. Like a puppet."

Gula frowned. "Ira's not stupid. She will figure it out before you can deal any heavy damage," he said.

"But what else has she got to go on?" Avaritia asked. "Just our word. We've been careful enough not to lay any hard evidence around."

That frown didn't disappear. Gula walked over to the Mirror and rested his elbows on it. "So what about him? The porcupine-kid?" he asked.

"He'll be easy to manipulate," Luxuria said, speaking the word 'manipulate' with a flourish.

"He's so gullible. After I told him about the puppet, Suta and that brat," Avaritia laughed, "it won't take much to get him to follow."

"But doesn't the R -," Gula began.

"He doesn't remember a thing," Luxuria told him. She laid one long-nailed hand on his shoulder and he instantly looked less doubtful. Like he took comfort in her touch. "He won't remember a thing, either," she added. "So long as you play your part."

"I don't know ..." Gula sighed. "I'm not good at this evil-stuff."

"But you like to eat, don't you?" Luxuria asked. "Just bid your time until we can get rid of the boy. I promise, you can get his heart."

Gula's eyes looked doubtful but his tongue ran over his lips. A devilish smirk spread across his face. "I _do_ like to eat ..." he said.

"Attaboy!" Avaritia said, grinning.

Luxuria smiled again. "Now, come on, Gula. I do believe it's your turn next. In fact, that puppet is going to make his entrance with you."

"I get a new toy to play with?" Gula asked almost childishly.

Avaritia smirked as Luxuria walked away with Gula under her arm, consoling him about his new 'toy'. He folded his arms over his chest and then vanished through another portal.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora's off to the next Tyme, a familiar castle filled with Heartless and trapped servants who don't remember who he is. Memories or not, Sora's bound to save them, but the Heartless are making things very complicated - especially when he finds the last fighter on the ground, her pure heart missing.

Next time!


	14. Locked and Freed

**Act XIV **

_**locked and freed**_

Sora stood in front of the great locked doors. He pointed the Kingdom Key before him and aimed it at the massive locks in the centers of the door. A golden light began to swirl around the tip of the Keyblade, and then a flash of stars scattered across the end. Sora lifted his arms and with them, the Keyblade, and held it level with the lock. He jumped back and swung around the Keyblade, then aimed it back at the lock. A golden beam shot out and hit the lock. There was the heavy sound of something unlocking.

Sora lowered the Keyblade and grinned to himself. He wiped at his mouth and spat on the ground – blood was still mixed with his saliva. A little worried, he swallowed and clipped the Keyblade to the back of his belt. With the Keyblade dangling from the back of his pants, he pushed open the doors and began to walk inside.

Inside, it was enormous: The ceiling was high enough to cover two average stories, with great chandeliers coming down from them. A scarlet carpet lined the rough, dark stone of the floor. The walls sparkled with the rough feel of age. Cobwebs had been built with care by spiders into the corners of the walls and turns and around the chandeliers. A set of stairs emerged before him, and then divided into two: One going east and the other going west. In the middle was a great set of doors, and below the stairs was one other door.

Despite the overwhelming feel of foreboding, Sora felt rather welcome. The home of Beast and Belle; they _had_ to remember him. If it was true what the Heartless kept telling him, they should – Sora met Beast, and later Belle, in Hollow Bastion when it was still under the control of Maleficent. Over a year previously. So they had to, right?

Sora's thoughts were stopped when great portals of Darkness exploded into life before him. A group of Soldier Heartless came tumbling out, dancing around in their spots. Behind them came a massive Large Body.

The Soldiers danced back and forth as they tried to focus a little more on the closest beating heart. They locked onto Sora, who unclipped his Keyblade and dropped into a fighting stance. "More Heartless, huh? I can handle you!" he said.

And then: A bizarre feeling overwhelmed Sora. His vision swirled before him and he staggered backwards, dropping out of his fighting stance. His free hand immediately went to his face. He felt as though all the blood had been drained out of him, and left him feeling weak and empty.

It was only a seconds, and Sora's vision was fixed again. _'What ... what was that!?'_ he thought. _'Oh no ... this is exactly how I felt while I was ill in Destiny Islands,'_ Sora thought with horror.

But the Soldiers were coming towards him, and Sora had to ignore his feelings. The Soldiers dauntingly came towards him, until one brought its leg back and its foot began to glow purple. It launched itself forward with a wicked kick that Sora parried. He flung the Keyblade in front of him, hearing it ring against the Soldier's kick. The Heartless dropped to the ground, and Sora brought the Keyblade down on its head. The thing crumpled beneath him and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The other three continued to come at him, while the Large Body was not moving. In fact, its tiny chin was resting on its chest and a bubble of snot swelled and shrunk out of its unseen nose every time it inhaled and exhaled. It was asleep.

Sora ignored it, thankful he didn't have to worry about it just yet, and focused on the Soldiers. Another Soldier swung its leg at him and he parried with the Keyblade. He swung a horizontal slash and cut the Soldier in two, right through the middle. Sora ran through the smoke it burst into and towards the remaining two Soldiers. He hurled the Keyblade at the first, catching it by the neck and destroying it instantly. The last was smarter; it dropped to the ground and the Keyblade feebly bounced off the front of the Large Body. The great Heartless awoke with a jerk.

"Oh no!" Sora exclaimed. The Large Body snorted and looked around, then threw its hands up and began to fall into a tantrum. With every wild jump, it shook the floor viciously. The Soldier stumbled and fell over. Sora stayed low to the ground and tried to crawl over to his Keyblade. When he was right before the Large Body, it finally noticed him, and raised its hands again. Sora grabbed the Kingdom Key and forced himself to slide underneath the Large Body. Behind him, the ground shook horribly as the Large Body's fists collided with the ground.

Sora jumped up and hit the Heartless in the back with all his force. The Large Body jiggled and then stood quite still. Sora's hands and arms stung with pain from the force, but the Large Body seemed to pop and then vanish into a great cloud of Darkness. Sora coughed and choked, and it wasn't until he felt something hit his shin that he remembered he was still in combat. He stepped back when he saw the Soldier attempt to hit him again; Sora jumped back and then swung the Keyblade downwards.

The Soldier fell apart and burst into a thin cloud of ash-tasting Darkness. Silence filled the hall, while Sora collapsed down onto the bottom step.

"What was that?" Sora asked. His fingers wanted to let go of the Keyblade, but he just couldn't. He didn't feel safe without it. Placing his face back in his hand, Sora fell quiet and thought for a while.

_'Maybe ... maybe I never got over that sickness ...'_

The thought made Sora feel sick. But he forced himself to ignore it and stand up. He placed the Keyblade at the back of his belt, and then turned around and faced the steps. "But first! I got to find Cogsworth-tachi ... or Belle ... or Beast. Or _someone_," he announced to himself.

**-xxx-**

Figuring that the best way to go was the East Wing, where he knew he could at least find Belle or Wardrobe, Sora headed up the stairs to his right. They curved around the wall dividing it and the Ballroom, and headed into the next hallway. Now one story off the ground floor, the way to Belle's bedroom was long and dark. The crimson carpet stretched seamlessly around a small set of stairs, around a corner and all the way down to the very end. Moonlight splashed on the floor through floor-to-ceiling windows. In between the windows, there were stony gargoyles.

Before Sora even started down the hallway, he stopped at the first gargoyle and tapped it cautiously. The Heartless had caused these to spring to life the last time he came through, and he knew he had to be careful.

Thankfully, it did nothing.

So Sora ran down the hallway without looking at any more statues. Their empty eyes gave him the creeps and made the hairs on his neck stand straight (but at that time, nearly everything did, it seemed). He stopped at a single wooden door and tried to twist the doorknob, but it didn't budge. "Locked," Sora said to himself.

"Help! Help! The Master has locked me in here! Master, if that's you, please! Have the decency to _let me out_!" screamed a familiar female voice from the other side.

Sora's blue eyes widened and he stepped back without thinking. He threw all of his weight into his shoulder and rammed it as hard as he could. The door didn't give but it shook considerably.

"Master? Belle? Who is out there? If it's those Dark Creatures again, then you'd better stop!"

Sora realized exactly what he was doing and just about fell over. "Baka," he grumbled to himself and stood back. He aimed the Keyblade at the door and threw it around just like he had done before; he stepped back and a beam of light hit the lock from the tip of the Keyblade. There was the sound of something unlocking, and the door clicked free. Sora quickly opened the door and ran inside.

Belle's room was something between girly and archaic: Mirrors on the wall, a great four-poster bed, and lacy curtains over the window. Her room happened to be connected to a balcony outside. But Sora didn't see Belle: He saw a great, curved pink armoire with a painted face at the top. The wardrobe shuddered and shook her shoulders when her eyes fell on Sora, and then straightened up considerably.

"Who are you? Not a Dark Creature, I see! If you're a thief, you'd better leave now before I _give_ you a reason to -," she began to threaten him but Sora stopped her.

"Iie, iie, I'm not a thief," Sora said. "I'm Sora. A friend of Belle and Beast's."

"Sora?" Wardrobe asked. She paused and a look of thinking came over her animated face. "Oh! So-ra!" she said, pronouncing his name into two words. "The friend who helped my Master and the lady Belle while we were away; over at that dreadful castle. What was it called? Hollow ... Hallow ... something ..."

"Hollow Bastion?" Sora asked.

She nodded quickly. "Good! So-ra, can you help us? The Master has locked all of us into rooms and refuses to let any of us to come out! And there are those terrible Dark Creatures crawling all over the castle. I despair to think of what they're doing to it!"

"Wardrobe, where is Belle?" Sora asked seriously.

"I don't know, and that worries me," Wardrobe said, "and the Master too. They have both disappeared to who-knows-where!"

"Then where should I start looking?" Sora asked hopelessly. "I mean, the castle is sort of big ..."

"Hmm ..." the Wardrobe fell quiet. "The last time those Dark Creatures were here, the Master locked all of us up in the dungeon. Until Lumière and Cogsworth showed us a way out through the secret passage."

"Then I'll try there! Arigatou gozaimasu!" Sora called over his shoulder and left the room at a run.

The Wardrobe stayed behind and tried to figure out what 'arigatou gozaimasu' meant.

**-xxx-**

Sora left the East Wing and returned to the entrance hallway he was attacked in before. He didn't stop as he ran down one set of stairs and up the other, dashing into the West Wing. The West Wing was considerably more welcome than the East; instead of gray stone, the walls were a light cream. Golden chandeliers dangled over the place and the red carpet had broadened to cover most of the floor. Statues of armored soldiers were placed some feet apart.

As Sora rounded a corner and headed into the main body of the West Wing, he could see only two doors: One across a small set of stairs and one above the stairs. The second was harder to see, especially as they were around an open corner and a set of statues blocked the way. When Sora neared the soldiers, they jumped to life: They weren't Heartless, but Sora knew they were animated by Darkness.

Only two attacked, but Sora found the battle somewhat difficult. Without any visible weaknesses, he found being outnumbered harder than before. Immediately as the first attacked with a long, slender sword Sora couldn't name, the second jumped in with it. Sora parried both attacks and forced both backwards. When he leaped in to attack, his Keyblade simply rang off their armor. It shook Sora all the way up to his elbows. The armor he hit picked up its sword and slashed horizontally in front of it; even though Sora ducked, he could feel the wind caress his spiky hair.

Sora jumped backwards but the suits of armor were on him in an instant. They attacked in unison: One high and one low, so that Sora could dodge only by stepping back. He kept his head as far away from their swords as possible. Before he knew it, all he did was dodge and parry. Dodge and parry. Dodge and parry. Sora began to wear out faster than he thought he would, and his dodges became slower. Twice he nearly lost a good chunk of hair and scalp because of his timing.

Soon, Sora was out of breath. When his heel hit a wall, Sora panicked. _'I've blocked myself in!'_ he thought. Sora watched the suits of armor get closer and aimed his Keyblade before him. "Deep freeze!" Sora shouted with all his might and a blizzard of ice spikes shot out. None of them pierced through, but instead, they did something they never did before: They melted against the armor and froze all around them. The armor suits were frozen in place from the neck down.

"Gotcha," Sora grinned to himself tiredly. He walked away from the frozen suits of armor and began to ascend the stairs: That was the way to Beast's room. He heard the sound of something cracking and came to a stop. He turned around in time to narrowly avoid the now-freed suits of armor bolt back to their post. They just about ran him over in hurry to get back to their previous places.

Sora sighed to himself and realized he would have to go to the Dungeon first. He turned around, careful not to get any closer to the suits of armor lest he start another battle. Sora walked over to the Dungeon's door, the only door he could get to, and lo and behold, the door was locked.

"Man, gimme a break!" Sora grumbled to himself as he pointed his Keyblade at the lock.

**-xxx-**

The door opened to reveal a shabby, stone-built room with only one visible source of light. It was dark and miserable, with a set of stairs going up above him where two more suits of armor guarded an open archway. Bits of furniture were crammed up around the corners and only one door was able to be seen. Sora didn't dare near the suits of armor and walked over to the door.

It was locked.

Sora irritably unlocked it and walked into what could have been mistaken for a broom-cupboard: It was so tiny and cramped that Sora himself made the room look smaller when he entered. There was no light-source, but a carefully-placed Fire spell solved that. Only inanimate objects could be seen: A clock, a set of candles, a tea pot and a tea cup. Sora knew that wasn't the truth, but they were so still they could have passed for inanimate objects.

"Cogsworth! Lumière! Mrs. Potts! Chip!" Sora named them all with a grin.

The tiny clock jumped to life at once and eyed him suspiciously. "I'm sorry, but have we met?" Cogsworth asked.

"Aa -," Sora began and then quickly remembered where he was. He quickly changed his first statement, "Aa ... ano, iie. We haven't. But I know your Master! Beast, and Belle too!"

"You do?" Cogsworth asked.

Sora shivered a little; it was cold in the dungeon. But he grinned and nodded. "Of course. We met in Hollow Bastion," he said, which he felt a little better saying – it was the truth.

"Zen you must bee the famous Zora!" Lumière, the set of candles, said with a thick, French accent.

"Hai!" Sora nodded.

"That is good news," Mrs. Potts said, a tea pot who had been sitting in front of a chipped tea cup.

"Wow! I never imagined you to be so big!" Chip said behind her, completely awe-struck.

Sora chuckled and scratched his cheek. "Well, I'm actually a little on the short side, but ..." he stopped himself and then said, "Where is Beast? And Belle? Are they in Beast's room?"

"Well ..." Lumière said hesitantly.

"I'm afraid we think we know where Belle is," Mrs. Potts said. She looked down-cast, "For you see, she was locked in here with us when those Dark Creatures came. The 'Heartless', I believe the Master called them. We are certain he locked us in this place for our safety, but unfortunately, Belle escaped through the secret passage."

"We tried to stop her!" Cogsworth said. "But she wouldn't listen ...

"_'Once she remembered the secret passage, she got that odd look in her eye. "Wait here!" she told us and headed through the passage.'_

"We tried to run after her, but she barricaded the archway to the secret passage. Once she found some old furniture to use, she put us back around here and threw all the old furniture in the archway to block it. Not long afterwards, the suits of armor came through and put us in here! We tried to get through, but the suits of armor locked the door," Cogsworth explained.

"Zere isn't much we can do, az we our now," Lumière said.

"Then I'll go through and find her!" Sora said bravely. "Demo ... I'll need some help. At least, trying to get past those guards."

"Those guards are nothing!" Cogsworth said. "They'll obey you if you give the right command."

**-xxx-**

The 'right' command was very simple, "Step aside, guards! And let us through!"

The guards immediately leapt out of the way.

Sora felt rather stupid.

But as the five gathered around the archway, Sora, for the first time, saw the bits of furniture crammed into the archway. He could not have seen them coming into the dungeon. Lumière stood before Sora and bowed, flicking one candle-arm at the mess. When bits of melted wax fell to the floor, he quickly straightened up and said, "After you, _mon ami_."

Sora decided not to ask Lumière what 'mon ami' meant, but he went ahead and began to shove the furniture forward. It was easy to push all of them aside, until the point where Sora and the group could easily crawl through a great hole at the top. Inside, it was not decorated at all.

It was all stone, and no statues. The place was lit by torches set into the walls. There were no carpets, no painting, no tapestries – nothing. But Sora saw, as soon as they entered, on the far end, a Large Body sleeping away. He could hear the jingle of something else too.

"Stay here!" Sora shouted to Cogsworth and the others and quickly dashed down the long, winding passage. He was lucky the Large Body was so tall, or else he wouldn't have noticed it.

The clinking of wood, metal and porcelain quickly died away when Sora reached a small group of Heartless surrounding a fallen girl. Two Soldiers and a Large Body Heartless; but the Large Body was asleep.

"Hey, you!" Sora shouted and without hesitance, flung the Keyblade over at the two Soldiers. The whirling weapon caught both in one strike and they twitched and vanished into a puff of Darkness. The Large Body awoke at once and then thundered towards Sora, upset that its nap had been stopped. Sora cried out and quickly dodged to the left, while the Large Body thundered behind him.

His sense of direction and time suddenly shifted and the ground seemed to quake; but the Large Body had stopped moving. "Iie ... not now!" Sora moaned, clutching his hand to his temple. He sunk down to his knees and heard the tiny voice of Chip squeal,

"Sora!"

The Large Body began to turn around at the sound of Chip's voice. Sensing an easy meal, it began to head towards the oncoming group of four. Sora forced himself back to his feet when he saw this. "Iie!" he screamed and ran forward. He skidded to a stop when he was right behind the unknowing Large Body, and with all his strength and rage, cut the Keyblade deep into the folds of its back. The Large Body let out an unmistakable high-pitched scream of pain and then vanished into Darkness.

"Are you guys alright?" Sora breathlessly asked them.

"Sora! That was so cool!" Chip said in awe.

"Dear, you look so tired," Mrs. Potts said.

"No time for rest! Look!" Lumière pointed down at the girl.

A young, thin maiden with long brown hair in a low ponytail was the girl who rested on the floor. She appeared to be unconscious. She was dressed in a knee-length blue dress with a white apron, and a set of black slippers. Sora finally realized who she was. "Belle!" he shouted in surprise.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** In order to restore what was lost, Sora goes on a hunt to find Beast. He finds Beast trying to bargain with a Heartless, who merely leers and taunts him before disappearing. Sora informs the already-frustrated Beast of what is going on in his Castle. Unfortunately, Beast already knows of the catastrophe. Before the two can do anything, the Shadow Stalker makes its arrival. They battle it ferociously, but the Shadow Stalker seems to be always one step ahead.

Next time!


	15. Cost of Darkness

**Act XV **

_**cost of darkness**_

"Belle! Belle! What's wrong? Open your eyes!" Sora leaned down next to Belle and gently shook her shoulders. The young woman didn't budge an inch as he held her, and Sora began to fear the worst.

Cogsworth, Lumière, Mrs. Potts and Chip gathered next to Sora and stared at Belle mournfully. "Is she -?" Chip began but he couldn't seem to finish.

"Just like Kairi-chan ..." Sora mused quietly. He gathered one arm around her shoulders and the opposite beneath her knees, and then straightened up. "Let's take her somewhere safe," he said. He wished he could have sounded more optimistic, but he just couldn't. He felt like it was all his fault ...

**-xxx-**

The group returned to the cramped dungeon, where Sora laid the unconscious Belle across the chairs inside. "I wish we could take her somewhere a little more comfortable, but this is the only place where the Heartless have yet to break into." he said.

"Poor Belle!" Chip cried. "What's happened to her, mama? Why won't she move?"

Mrs. Potts gathered herself close to her son and tried to console him, but she didn't know what to say.

"You have made a wise decision," Lumière said, "we can't risk losing her body az well!"

"Then what should we do?" Cogsworth fretted. "First we can't find the Master! And now who _knows_ what has happened to Belle!"

"Stay here! I'll find a way to sort this out," Sora said and then ran out of the dungeon. He could hear the entire group protest around the unconscious Belle, but Sora closed the door tightly and dragged a blank of wood over the door so they couldn't escape. "Protect her while I'm gone! I'll be back soon!" he called through the door and then ran back into the secret passage.

**-xxx-**

This time, Sora managed to run through the secret passage without being confronted by the Heartless. Sub-consciously he began to breathe lighter, as though this would somehow make his footsteps soundless, but his mind was on Belle. _'Is she really ...?'_ Sora thought as he ran. _'Her heart ... I know it's gone! But where could it have gone? This stupid Clocktower ... it's so cruel!'_ he thought with half a mind to kick the wall as he passed around a corner, but settled on getting to Beast's room. He had to warn him – fast!

Sora made it through the other side and quietly pushed open what appeared to be a door. On the outside, it appeared to be a section of the wall had just slid back. He peeked out and saw the animates soldiers still guarding post in the West Wing. He held his breath and quietly tip-toed out, up the stairs, and down the hallway. The whole time his eyes were on the guards and his heart seemed to race. He kept his back to the wall and as close as he could to it. When he was within arms' length of the door, Sora pulled it open and slipped inside.

The rest of the Wing was exactly like the East Wing. It was dark and stony, with patches of moonlight spilled onto the floor. A crimson carpet raced along the ground and stony gargoyles stood post along the way. It was a straight walk down to the massive doors at the very bottom.

Sora did the same thing as he had done before: He tapped the gargoyle and waved his hands frantically in front of it to make sure it wasn't alive. When it didn't move, he ran down the hallway, only to stop at Beast's door. He heard a deep, growling voice come from inside.

"... please, just give them back to me!" it pleaded.

_'Beast!?'_ Sora thought wildly. He pressed half his body and the side of his face to the door, trying to hear the groveling voice better.

"I need them! If you refuse, then give me at least her heart!"

There was a silence.

"Worthless ..." Beast sounded overwhelmed with anger. "Don't you -!" he sounded like he was going to threaten whatever had the heart, but stopped himself. "I can't. Just give it back to me! Don't make me beg anymore for it! I won't stop until I know Belle has awaken again!"

Another silence. Sora's own heart-beat seemed to ring in his ears.

Beast suddenly growled. "Stop ... STOP LEERING AT ME! I will rip you apart for her heart, you unworthy Heartless!"

There was a growl and a heavy thud as something heavy crashed into a wall. In a surge of emotion, Sora busted into the room to find Beast and a Heartless inside.

Beast appeared to be just that – a beast. Garbed in a pair of teal pants and a purple cloak, the rest of him appeared to be a chimera of sorts. He had the hind legs of an animal, and a bushy brown tail of a wolf. His torso was massive and muscular, with huge clawed hands. He was hunched over with a long neck, and a face covered completely in fur. Soft ears stuck out behind twisted horns, and his mouth and nose had been replaced with a snout twisted in fury and pain. His entire body was covered in shades of brown fur, and his bright eyes were blue. Beast laid in pain against the wall opposite of Sora, in utter shock and pain at what had just happen.

Before him was a Heartless, but not at all like the Heartless Sora had been fighting in the Clocktower. The Shadow Stalker appeared to be a great black head with many lines running across it, and chains wrapped all around it. It's twisted form waved with black tendrils and blue wisps that lifted from its body. Before it, wrapped all in chains, was the rose and a shining, crystal heart.

"Beast!" Sora shouted in a fury. Without thinking, he hurled the Keyblade through the air. The Shadow Stalker whirled around and saw the Keyblade. It disappeared in a great puff of black smoke; but it wasn't like the smoke the Heartless faded into when they were defeated. When the Keyblade whirled back into Sora's hand, he knew – it had fled.

Now that the chaos was over, Sora could look at Beast's room more clearly: It appeared to have once been a very nice room, torn apart in rage. Furniture was pushed to the walls, deep claw marks scratched into them. The four-poster bed and all its covers had been torn apart and pushed as debris into the walls. A pedestal sat before a great window on the opposite wall of Sora; the pedestal was knocked over and Beast was leaning against the window. He had hit the wall in between, sparing the glass. Sora couldn't see any visible wounds, and figured the Shadow Stalker must have tackled Beast without any claws or sharp objects.

"S-Sora ... what are you doing here? Did you see where that thing went?" Beast growled.

"Gomen nasai," Sora apologized, "but I didn't. But what's going on here? Why does that thing have Belle's heart?"

"The Heartless have invaded my Castle," Beast heaved himself up to his feet in pain, grunting and holding onto his shoulder with one hand, "again. But it won't be like last time! I refuse to let my Castle disappear into the Darkness! I locked up Cogsworth and the others, but Belle escaped, I think. That ... _thing_, that 'Heartless', stole her heart _and_ my rose. I must kill it before it escapes. I know what happens to a person when they lose their heart ..."

"They don't wake up again," Sora said sorrowfully. "And without that rose, your enchantment will never break."

"Less of an enchantment, more like a curse," the Beast said bitterly, and then looked at Sora in surprise, "How did you know of the spell?"

"Ano ... Wardrobe told me," Sora lied quickly. "But we should get going! It might escape your Castle with Belle's heart."

**-xxx-**

Sora quickly learned this new attitude of Beast's was really annoying. He wasn't at all like his normal self, and lamented the whole way as they left his room and entered the West Wing again. "This is my punishment, I deserve something like this," Beast grumbled to himself along the way. "For my sins of pride and avarice, but why drag Belle into it?" he sighed.

Sora tried to be optimistic. "Maybe you're being challenged! Y'know, like a dual-of-the-heart sort of thing," he suggested. "You're supposed to prove yourself to Belle!"

"You think?" Beast didn't seem persuaded. When they re-entered the West Wing's main hallway, he motioned for the guards to step aside. They obediently did so and they entered the main area of the hallway. "Where should we start looking?"

"Ano ..." Sora began when a loud thump came from the dungeon. "Looks like the dungeon!" Sora said as the two of them ran through the door.

Beast just about wrenched the door right off its hinges to get to the dungeon. The two leaped into the room and ran into the tiny dungeon, where more thumps came.

There was the sound of, "Get away, you monster!" and, "Take _zat_!"

With one fantastic blow, Beast busted into the dungeon with more force than necessary – splintering the bit of wood Sora had placed over it only recently. The entire fight stopped: Belle was unconscious and still laying on the chairs and the Shadow Stalker hovered over her; Cogsworth was attempting to hit it with his fists, Lumière was trying to set it on fire, and Mrs. Potts had Chip behind her and spouted off boiling water at the Heartless.

The entire group froze with shock and terror as the two suddenly busted into the dungeon. "Belle!" the Beast exclaimed when the scene finally sunk in.

The Shadow Stalker twitched visibly, trying to decide between the servants and Sora or Beast. Beast didn't hesitate; he grabbed the Shadow Stalker by its head and hurled it, impressively, clear from the dungeon and back out into the main hallway.

"After it!" Beast shouted and was gone in an instant.

Sora was trying to figure out what had just happen, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"_Monsieur_! Zora!" Lumière shouted, his French accent thickening with the chaos of the situation. "After eet!"

"Huh? Right!" Sora snapped to attention and ran out after Beast and the Shadow Stalker.

**-xxx-**

When Sora arrived back in the hallway, Beast and the Shadow Stalker were facing off one-on-one. Like something out of an action movie, the fight vaguely reminded him of the ferocity between Cloud and Sephiroth in the Tyme of Radiant Garden. Beast clawed sharply at the Shadow Stalker, which shot backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack. It opened its mouth and came for the Beast again, but with a solid punch, the Heartless went flying backwards. It crashed into the wall, bits of rock and paint flying everywhere.

"Ano, Beast?" Sora really wanted to tell Beast to calm down, but he had the feeling nothing would calm him down.

The rose and heart sparkled within the Shadow Stalker's grasp as it recovered once again. It shot forward and collided itself with Beast. Beast roared out in pain as it hit his shoulder, the same shoulder he had been holding onto earlier. The Beast struck back and sent the already-wounded Shadow Stalker flying. It recovered before it hit the wall and launched itself back at the Beast. The Beast was ready to strike and launched a punch, when the Shadow Stalker opened its mouth and clamped its jaws around his fist.

The Beast roared again and Sora finally decided he should join in the fight. He jumped in, and with a well-aimed hit, broke the Shadow Stalker off Beast's arm and it crashed into the floor. The carpet crumpled with the newly-formed crater in the ground. The Beast grabbed his arm; the fur was singed and there were bleeding teeth marks surrounding it, neatly fit in with the muscle.

"You alright?" Sora asked, eyeing the wound.

Beast hid it from his sight. "I can still fight," he said.

The Shadow Stalker floated back out of the ground and began to shake visibly in the air. It was deeply wounded, with bits of the wall and ceiling meshed in with its inner-Darkness. It shook and opened its mouth wide, yellow eyes focused between Beast and Sora. Sora could tell the way the irises kept moving: It was trying to decide which one was the easier target.

Sora readied the Keyblade before him, ready to strike back when the Shadow Stalker attacked. It bolted for him just as Sora thought it would, but Sora stuck the Keyblade in the Shadow Stalker's mouth. Keeping the Kingdom Key vertical between its jaws, the Shadow Stalker couldn't clamp its jaws over his arm as it had done to Beast. There was a roar and then Beast charged the thing, ramming his shoulder into it. The Shadow Stalker spat out the Keyblade as it went flying further down the hallway.

Immediately, Sora and Beast went running down the hallway. Beast was a little bit faster and made it to the Shadow Stalker first. He reached up to claw it and the Shadow Stalker shot backwards. It embedded itself into one of the suits of armor that had been positioned all around the hallway. At once, the guard jumped to life, Darkness pouring out of the gaps in its visor and the holes in its joints.

"Possession?" Beast questioned.

"Aa!" Sora said. "It did this last time too!" Sora told him, now even with the larger fighter. He remembered the way the Shadow Stalker possessed all the things in the Ballroom – the walls, the pillars – and turned them against them.

"Last time?" Beast started to repeat but the soldier had jumped into action. Swinging its sword wildly at Beast, the Beast couldn't parry any of the attacks. Soon, all Beast did was back away – farther and farther away from the possessed guard. With each step it took forward, the Beast took one more backwards. His entire torso was bowed backwards as he attempted to dodge any of its attacks. Sora ran forward and whacked the back of the guards' armor. The Keyblade rang off the metal with a force that slightly-disoriented Sora.

The guard temporarily paused mid-action, the sword aimed down for Beast's shoulder. The Beast took the opportunity to grab the sword and bent it in half about as easily as he would have done to cardboard. There was a loud bending noise as the metal gave, and then Beast tossed it over his shoulder like a paper-wad. "Not so tough without your weapon, are you?" he asked and then began to claw at the chest plate.

Sparks flew every time Beast's claws hit the metal. Left utterly defenseless, the possessed guard began to fall backwards just as Beast had done only moments before. Sora realized what Beast was trying to do: Claw his way into the chest plate and force out the Shadow Stalker. The scratches the Beast made were shallow, so Sora decided on a quicker route. He ran for the guard and stepped up onto its back. He hoisted himself high into the air and with a heavy swing, smacked the side of the helmet and sent it flying.

Beast stopped; the guard began to twitch and then its armor caved. In a cloud of Darkness went the Shadow Stalker, back out into the atmosphere. "Gotcha!" Sora shouted and took another step over the now-wide open hole in the chest plate. He pushed himself higher and aimed another swing at the Shadow Stalker, but it disappeared into a puff of smoke. Sora was left dumbfounded as he fell to the floor and landed back on his feet. The armor crumpled like paper and fell uselessly to the floor behind it.

"Where'd it go?" Beast asked, as lost as Sora.

"Dunno!" Sora looked wildly around for the Shadow Stalker.

He finally spotted it – clear on the other side of the hallway. It reappeared in the wall, its grinning face plastered over the entire wall, suddenly taking over it like a movie. The rest of it's body couldn't be seen, but the heart and rose dangled on a chain outside of the wall.

"Look out, Beast!" Sora shouted a second before the Shadow Stalker released its attack.

Rays of light suddenly shot up from the floor and ran down it like electric snakes. Sora cringed and pushed Beast out of the way as fast as he possibly could, then stepped backwards. Although he was in between two of the rays, he could feel the light tendrils shocking him through his entire system. When the attack died away, Sora felt ... odd. Numb, but as though he had just had a lot of caffeine.

"Sora! Are you alright?" the Beast asked, running back over to the Keywielder.

"Hai, I think," Sora said, "could have been worse," he said this quite a bit faster and louder than he normally would have, and in an instant he was facing the Shadow Stalker again.

The wounded Shadow Stalker had appeared out of the wall once again, that rose and heart dangling freely. Sora began to wonder: _'Why won't it eat the heart? Is something telling it not to? Most Heartless won't think twice when it comes to a free heart!'_

He immediately felt bad about thinking such a thing. He didn't _want_ that Heartless to devour Belle's heart, he wanted to _save_ it! But still ... it was curious.

The Shadow Stalker began to fly higher and higher, to the point where it hovered around the chandeliers. Sora stepped back and aimed his Keyblade up at the Shadow Stalker. With all of his strength, he hurled the Kingdom Key up at the Shadow Stalker. It flew higher and higher, and then ... it came back down. Swinging around in an arc without even coming near to the Shadow Stalker. Sora dived forward and caught the Keyblade with both hands.

Beast was still looking up at the Shadow Stalker. "It's no use! It's too high!" he said.

"Matte!" Sora jumped back to his feet again with an idea. "Throw _me_!" he said eagerly.

"What?" Beast stared at him.

"Throw me!" Sora said. "And then I'll throw my Keyblade! That should clear the distance, ne?" he said, practically bouncing on the spot.

Not knowing what else to do, Beast had to comply. Sora climbed up onto his hands and the Beast backed up a ways. Settling their plan of action between them, the Beast began to charge forward. At once, fear leaped up into Sora's heart that he might miss, but he forced himself to stay focused. When Beast got far enough, he threw up his hands and Sora felt himself soar up into the air with incredible speed. Halving the distance between himself and the Shadow Stalker, he hurled out his Keyblade.

The Kingdom Key flew higher and higher, while Sora began to fall again. "Sora!" Beast shouted beneath him, racing to catch him again. Sora landed in Beast's arms again, but his eyes were still on the ceiling. The Kingdom Key had swung in a perfect arc and was now sticking out of the Shadow Stalker's eye.

A loud high-pitched scream ejected itself from its mouth. Sora, back on the floor, put his hands over his ears and Beast did the same. They watched as the Shadow Stalker began to twitch rapidly, and then the Keyblade fell out of its eye socket. It clattered victoriously onto the floor. The Shadow Stalker began to swing back and forth, and Sora realized why an instant later: It swung the chained heart up into the air, and then down into its mouth.

"NO!" Beast roared, unable to do anything.

A light glowed around the Shadow Stalker and a chill fell over the entire hallway. Bands of black began to wrap all around the Shadow Stalker. It lowered itself, now like a great, round black mummy. That rose dangled freely in their reach, but Beast was too horrified by what he just saw to do anything about it.

When the folds melted away, the creature had completely changed. Its head had shrunken and a body grew from it. Its torso was huge, bulging with power and speed while its lower legs were quite a bit thinner. Giant red claws protruded from black fingers, and its wrists were bound in chains. Lines of teal ran over its entire body, and two jagged red horns stuck out of its skull. Its eyes were blank and yellow and its mouth gaped wide open, all red inside. A long mane of crimson flew from the back of its skull and up into the air like a cape.

"Dark Thorn," Sora said, dropping into a fighting stance.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora and Beast take on the Dark Thorn together. Despite their efforts, the Dark Thorn overpowers them. Left wounded and dazed, Sora begins to feel a most peculiar sensation when everything goes black. When he wakes up, he remembers nothing. The Dark Thorn is gone. So why does he feel so terrible? 


	16. Equal to a Heart

**Act XVI **

_**equal to a heart**_

They watched as the Shadow Stalker began to twitch rapidly, and then the Keyblade fell out of its eye socket. It clattered victoriously onto the floor. The Shadow Stalker began to swing back and forth, and Sora realized why an instant later: It swung the chained heart up into the air, and then down into its mouth.

"NO!" Beast roared, unable to do anything.

A light glowed around the Shadow Stalker and a chill fell over the entire hallway. Bands of black began to wrap all around the Shadow Stalker. It lowered itself, now like a great, round black mummy. That rose dangled freely in their reach, but Beast was too horrified by what he just saw to do anything about it.

When the folds melted away, the creature had completely changed. Its head had shrunken and a body grew from it. Its torso was huge, bulging with power and speed while its lower legs were quite a bit thinner. Giant red claws protruded from black fingers, and its wrists were bound in chains. Lines of teal ran over its entire body, and two jagged red horns stuck out of its skull. Its eyes were blank and yellow and its mouth gaped wide open, all red inside. A long mane of crimson flew from the back of its skull and up into the air like a cape.

"Dark Thorn," Sora said, dropping into a fighting stance.

"Dark Thorn?" the Beast repeated. "How do you know all of this?"

"Ano ..." Sora hesitated and then said, "you learn a lot when you ask the right people. But now's not the time for that, the Dark Thorn is coming!"

He was right; the Dark Thorn came free onto the floor. The rose dangled from a chain around its neck. It roared and then began to charge them down. Sora, weaponless, jumped out of the way but the Beast stayed right where he was. With a loud grunt, the Beast caught the Dark Thorn head-on and grabbed it by its horns. "Beast!" Sora shouted, but the Beast must not have heard him for he didn't respond. Sora ran quickly for his Keyblade and scooped it up off the floor.

Whirling around, Sora bolted for the Dark Thorn again. He ran up behind the Dark Thorn and tried to shove the Keyblade straight through its back – at the last second, it pried itself away from Beast and jumped out of the way. Sora forced himself to stop before the attack ran through Beast, and both recovered from the sudden motion. He whirled around and saw the Dark Thorn land on the stairs behind the guards that stood there.

"Not them again!" Sora whined.

Beast said nothing. Sora looked at him and saw the look on his face: Something along the lines of confused. The rage had left it completely.

"Beast ..." Sora began, and then the clink of metal stopped him.

The guards both puffed out smokes of Darkness from inside their visor and the gaps of their joints. Raising up their swords they began to descend the stairs in the direction of Sora and Beast. Sora tensed and raised the Kingdom Key again, pointing it at them. "_I_ can handle these guys, you go after the Dark Thorn!" Sora said.

"But -," Beast began.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked him seriously, only to miss the first attack of the guards. Beast yelled out and Sora felt the blade dig deep into his shoulder. Blood squirted forward, splashing on Sora's face and neck. He tumbled over backwards and Beast thundered towards the guards. He placed both claws on the guard's shoulders and hurled it into the wall. When the second tried to attack, Beast fended off the attack with his bleeding arm and pushed it backwards.

Sora winced and held onto his bleeding shoulder, forcing himself to stand back on his own feet. "I'm ... I'm alright ... gimme a second ..." Sora said breathlessly, feeling his vision swim before him. His fingers ran over the torn flesh, the cut was deep.

"You're bleeding," Beast began, ignoring the chinks of metal coming from behind him.

"I didn't want to do this, but ..." Sora raised the Keyblade above him. "_Heal_!" he shouted. A mint leaf and a trio of golden bells sprung to life around him. The leaf rushed in a circular motion around Sora's body and he instantly felt himself rejuvenated – the wound closed up and ceased all blood flow, along the wounds he had gained in his previous fights with the Heartless. The bells and leaves disappeared altogether, leaving Sora feeling better before. The spell, unfortunately, didn't wipe clean the blood on his face and hair and staining his clothes, nor did it repair his torn clothes. But he felt much better.

"That's amazing! How did you -?" Beast began, awe struck.

The chinks of metal grew closer and Beast realized a second before the guards were on them again. _'I can't freeze them, now,'_ Sora thought. He dashed forward and parried a blow that would have landed on Beast's back. The Dark Thorn, meanwhile, had taken to climbing the walls and ceiling, staying around the chandeliers. It watched them carefully with golden eyes. Sora grunted with the force of the attack and pushed the guard backwards. He released the guards grasp on him and shoved the Keyblade into its helmet. With a flick of the wrist, the helmet went flying.

Sora grinned. "Fetch!" he shouted. Like the suit of armor had lost its head, it stumbled around blindly in search of its helmet. The other one, however, continued to strike at Sora. Sora parried its first blow and locked the Keyblade with its sword. He swung up his leg and kicked the chest plater where a person's stomach would have been. He forcibly pushed the guard backwards and it stumbled over. Not knowing what else to do, Sora jumped on it and tried to keep it on the ground.

"Hurry! We have to kill that Dark Thorn before it does anymore damage!" Sora shouted, his voice strained. He kept the Keyblade around the collar of the chest plate, but it didn't take much for the suit of armor to start moving again. He heard a roar behind him as Beast attacked the now-recovered and re-headed suit of armor. The armor Sora sat on stood up, grabbed him by the collar, and threw him aside like something inferior and disgusting.

Sora flipped over in the air and landed on his feet with speed that even surprised him – he nearly fell onto the floor when he realized what he had done. He kept himself on the wall and pushed himself forward again. This time, as he shot across the hallway, he brought the Keyblade down. When the suit of armor raised its sword to strike at him, Sora hooked the Keyblade around it and dragged it out of the armor's gloved hand. Sora and the sword continued to shoot behind the suit of armor.

While Sora flipped over in the air and landed on the floor, the sword continued and stuck itself into the wall to his left. Sora dashed forward again, not really aiming for anything as he lashed outwards with the Keyblade. The crown-shaped pendent around his neck pounded heavily against his collarbone. The Keyblade rang off the lower back of the suit of armor. It stumbled forward, quite stunned. Sora watched the Beast retaliate against his own suit of armor and throw it across the hallway.

_'How did I get rid of the possessions last time I was here?'_ Sora wondered. And then, he remembered: Release. He released them!

Sora pointed the Keyblade down at the stunned suit of armor. He jumped back and twirled the Keyblade around his body, and with a flourish, pointed it at the guard. A light overwhelmed the tip of the Kingdom Key and golden stars sparkled around it. A beam of light shot out and hit the guard square in the chest just as it recovered and turned around. The whole thing began to shake painfully. When the light disappeared, it fell over, useless and inanimate as it was before the Heartless came.

"Gotcha!" Sora grinned. He turned around and saw Beast fighting with the other suit of armor. "Beast! Hold it still!" he shouted.

Beast looked at him in confusion. When he saw the grin plastered to Sora's face, he nodded. Ducking a swing of a sword, Beast emerged behind the suit of armor and wrapped his arms around its shoulders. The suit of armor began to twist and writhe, doing everything it could to get away.

Sora pointed the Keyblade over at the struggling guard. Again, he leaped backwards and twirled the Keyblade around. With a flourish, he pointed the Kingdom Key straight at its chest plate. The tip glowed a pale light and golden stars blossomed into view once again. A beam of light shot out the tip and hit the armor straight where its heart would have been. It stopped moving immediately, twitched, and then crumpled down into nothing.

Beast gave a heavy sigh of relief. "You _are_ surprising, Sora," the Beast said as he walked forward.

Sora turned and looked up at the ceiling. There was the sound of something cracking and the chandelier directly above them – along with the Dark Thorn – began to fly downwards. Sora ran out of the way as the chandelier crashed into the ground, the Dark Thorn clinging to a thick chain that kept it attached to the ceiling. The Dark Thorn gave an animal-like growl and heaved its weight onto the chandelier. It began to whirl around the room, faster and faster, swinging higher and farther the more the Dark Thorn did so.

Sora backed away, glancing at Beast. "Beast, let's go!" he shouted.

He started to run, only to stop when he heard the Beast say, "I can't."

"Why not?" Sora asked, surprised.

"Because ... what ... what if I harm Belle's heart?" the Beast asked.

"There won't be anything to re-take if we do nothing!" Sora shouted.

The Beast still looked unsure.

"Then do nothing!" Sora said very rudely and then dashed forward. Reaching the edge of the chandelier's radius, he aimed the Keyblade and hurled it straight for the Dark Thorn once it got close. The Kingdom Key whirled through the air and smacked the Dark Thorn in the side of the head. Sora grinned and pumped his fist in a sign of victory. The chandelier immediately stopped and the Dark Thorn jumped off. The side of the head where the Keyblade once hit was now smoking – its skin was melting!

Sora's blue eyes widened when the Dark Thorn came at him. He yelled and jumped out of the way. He stopped and searched for the Keyblade as the Dark Thorn recovered behind him. When the giant Heartless came charging again, Sora dashed for the chandelier. The Kingdom Key was laying uselessly at the top. Sora jumped forward and grabbed the Keyblade just as the Dark Thorn hit the side of the chandelier. He yelled again in surprise as the chandelier began to shake violently.

He gasped, trying to step backwards in a panic only to have his foot fall through the metal spikes. Frantic, Sora struggled to force his foot back through while the Dark Thorn advanced on him. It gave a high-pitched growl and raised its claws. When it heard, "Sora!" it suddenly stopped.

Sora did, too. It wasn't Beast who shouted. Beast had just started to charge the Dark Thorn, but a tiny tea cup was standing in the doorway to the dungeon. When the Dark Thorn looked at him, Chip squealed. Behind Chip, Sora could hear the voices of Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth and Lumière try to get Chip to turn away.

Sensing an easy target, the Dark Thorn leaped from the chandelier and landed by the doorway. Sora and Beast both stopped they were doing and yelled in protest. Chip squealed and spun around, trying to hop away. The Dark Thorn scooped him up in its great claws.

There was the shout of, "DON'T YOU TOUCH MY SON!" that Sora almost didn't believe came from Mrs. Potts. She jumped into view and frowned. Then, with all her strength, spouted off a stream of boiling water that Sora was certain wasn't boiling a moment before. It hit the Dark Thorn square in the face. It released Chip, who began to fall at length to the ground.

"Chip!" both Cogsworth and Lumière shouted. Both dived into view and underneath Chip, who bounced harmlessly off their backs.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" Mrs. Potts said in relief.

The Dark Thorn reared up on its back legs and released a high-pitched scream Sora was certain would make his ears pop. He planted both hands over the sides of his head and squeezed his eyes closed. Still stuck, when he opened them again, he saw the Dark Thorn raise its claws.

Beast screamed, "Don't you dare, Heartless!" in a threatening roar.

The Dark Thorn didn't seem to hear (or maybe it just didn't care) and it lowered its bright red claws. Something moved at a speed Sora couldn't follow. A brown and purple form enveloped the entire doorway and between the Dark Thorn and the servants. The claws dug into it, and Beast growled out in pain.

When it brought up its claws again, there was a pristine heart glimmering between them.

Sora stared. "Wh ... what? Iie ..." his voice trembled.

"Master!" the group of four began to cry.

Beast stumbled to the left and then slumped over. His great form went limp. Sora's hands fell from his leg and he stared at Beast in shock and horror. After that, his memory slipped away ...

**-xxx-**

Sora felt rage burn at his heart. His blue eyes seemed to have lost their shine. He stood up and his foot easily slipped through the gap in the chandelier.

A light burst from his heart and completely surrounded him – his clothes changed altogether. There was a flash and his baggy pants suddenly shifted to colors of black and red, with a black belt holding them up. A great spike was depicted over the front of his legs in red and white. The yellow straps around his thighs turned black and the pockets they held up became black and red. His jacket changed to red rimmed with white and black cuffs surrounding the shoulders. The navy blue tank-top shifted over to black with a white pocket in the front. His boots changed over to red and black, strapped with black, his gloves in the same unique style.

In one hand was the Kingdom Key, in the other was a different Keyblade. This one was mostly white, long and ornate. Where the tip of the Kingdom Key was hooked, this one was shaped in a star with colors of blue, gold, purple and white swirling from the center. The guard around his hand appeared to be a lightly winged white guard.

Sora jumped forward with speed that surpassed his normal. Gripping the Kingdom Key and the new Keyblade, the Oathkeeper, Sora jumped from the chandelier and landed behind the Dark Thorn. It barely had time to turn before both Keyblades slashed through his entire body.

A large 'X' glowed faintly in red across the Dark Thorn's torso. It shivered and then released its claws, where Beast's heart hung. The rose fell from its chain around his neck and collapsed on the floor. Its body disappeared in a great cloud of Darkness, leaving only Belle's heart suspended in midair.

**-xxx-**

Sora opened his eyes again. His clothes had shifted back over to their original colors, that of black, white, red, yellow and blue. The Oathkeeper disappeared.

He felt like he was waking up from a dream he couldn't remember.

"S-Sora?" Chip's voice quivered.

Sora looked down. Cogsworth, Lumière, Mrs. Potts and Chip were gathered in the doorway, staring up at him in a look of fear. Two hearts were balanced before him.

"What happened?" Sora asked, dazed.

"You ... transformed," Cogsworth said hesitantly, "and ... you killed that ... that ... Heartless ... thing ..." he said.

"I transformed?" Sora asked. "How? The last thing I remember ... was ... Beast!" his eyes widened. "Where's Beast? What happened to him?"

Chip began to sob.

"Zat 'Eartless took eet," Lumière said sorrowfully.

"But it looks like it was – oh!" Cogsworth gasped when one of the hearts, the brighter of the two, began to shine brightly. The rose glowed on the floor – and then, both disappeared.

"Oh no!" Mrs. Potts gasped.

"What happened!?" Cogsworth looked wildly around and saw nothing.

"The heart disappeared!" Sora said.

Silence fell for a long time. Sora's eyes stayed upon the heart that remained. Again, he felt quite numb.

"Where is Beast?"

The five stopped. Belle stood in the doorway, horrified when her eyes fell upon Beast's body. She held the rose in her grasp.

"The heart must have returned to Belle!" Cogsworth said.

"Beast! Oh, Beast!" Belle rushed over to his unconscious body and dropped to her knees. Not knowing what else to do, she placed her gentle hands on his shoulder and shook him. When he didn't move, tears welled up in her eyes. "Beast! Please, wake up! Wake up!" she began to cry frantically. When she couldn't move anymore, Belle collapsed onto his arm, shaking with sobs.

Almost as if in response, the heart that remained began to shine. Sora cupped his hands around it and stared at it. "This light ... is so warm," he said softly.

Belle sniffed and looked up. Her face was blotchy and there were tears still racing down her cheeks. "Is ... is that?" she began, hiccuping.

"Here," Sora said. The heart floated from Sora's hands down to Belle's. She looked at it in awe and then lowered her hands down to the Beast's chest. It disappeared and a warmth flooded through Beast's body. He began to stir and then his eyes fluttered open.

"Where ... where am I?" the Beast asked.

Belle smiled. Sora grinned. "We thought you were a goner!" Sora said.

Beast looked at Belle. "You're ... you're awake, Belle," he said.

She nodded.

**-xxx-**

"I don't know how to thank you, Sora, for what you've done here," the Beast said a little while later. His forearm was now bandaged and Belle helped him stand up. The thin woman looked like she would collapse at any minute, but she was grinning ear to ear.

Sora grinned and scratched his cheek. "Really, there's nothing to do," he said, looking around the Entrance Hallway.

"No, there's ... there's something I should give you," the Beast said. "Cogsworth! Go take my treasure chest," he said.

Cogsworth obediently obeyed. While he was gone, silence had fallen. Cogsworth returned some minutes later with a minuscule treasure box that Sora immediately recognized. Beast bent down and took it from the tiny clock and then handed it to Sora. "As thanks," the Beast said. "It ... seems right," he commented.

Sora opened the box and drew out a tiny key. "Guess this is something I'll need," he chuckled, "I guess ... arigatou gozaimasu. I'll come back soon! I promise!" he said.

The entire group nodded. Sora turned around and headed over to the giant doors. When he reached the door, he shoved the key into the lock and turned it. Sora pushed open the door to reveal, in his eyes, a white-tiled dimly-lit room. He turned around and saw everybody waving at him.

Sora grinned. "Ja matta ne!" he called and disappeared beyond the door.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora meets another Heartless, this time a hungry, orange-haired youth by the name of Gula. Unlike the other Heartless, Gula won't be fighting Sora himself. Instead, he sends in someone else - a memory rescued from the depths of Oblivion and repaired, his own memory gone, who fights Sora seemingly for the Heartless. 


	17. The Blank Puppet

**Act XVII **

_**the blank puppet**_

Sora got a certain sense of deja vu as he stepped out into the dimly-lit room. When he looked over, the purple veil had vanished, allowing him free access to the stairs beyond. These stairs were just as peculiar as the rest: They went up three steps, stretched out evenly for ten yards. At the end of the stretch, there was a very wide hole. Sora wasn't quite sure what to do with the hole, he just stared at it for a while. Then, he backed up and took a running leap over it. He landed on the stairs directly on the other side and continued up the stairs.

He didn't notice that the hole was growing.

But Sora went up the stairs and then down the stairs, both about the same length. He stepped out onto the floor only to find another set of stairs deeply going down, down and further down. Sora stared at them and then carefully began to walk down them. They, like the rest of the stairs in the castle, were very narrow and easy to slip on. Eventually, the stairs came so low that Sora could actually see the stretch of hallway from below, but there was a thick veil between him and it, obscuring his vision.

At that point, the stairs began to go up. By then, Sora could see the archway and couldn't wait to get the next hallway over. But when he reached halfway up the stairs, he noticed something. Something _other_ than the soft beating echoing from the walls to his ears.

A figure. And a slurping noise.

Sora got closer, his eyes completely fixed on this figure, until it revealed itself to be a young male, no older than twenty. He was long and lanky, with a long, skinny neck and thin arms and legs. He had shaggy, bright orange hair that hung down into his face, half of which was hidden behind a mask. A mask of a purple and black bat with only one wing. He wore a long black trench coat with a red collar and purple cloth underneath, and black straps over his chest. Under that, he wore a set of mismatched black pants, repaired with an orange patch over the left leg. An orange belt bound the left leg at the knee, where it split into tattered pieces to reveal the curly-toed black and orange boots he wore. The opposite leg had been torn off, fully revealing the red and white stockings he had on underneath.

Many purple and orange belts hung around his waist. A red and white glove fit over his left arm with a black glove over that, stopping halfway up his forearm. Opposite, an orange armband was around his right upper arm. The red and white glove on his right arm stopped at his skinny wrist, and the black glove over _that_ had been ripped off halfway to the wrist, so it was just a set of fingers held together with a bit of cloth. A Heartless Emblem showed on his gut, pinning his trench coat together at the waist.

The slurping noise came from the white and blue Popsicle he was eating.

Sora stopped several feet down.

The man didn't say anything, but Sora knew he was well aware of his presence: His eyes were fixed on him. And when he moved his mouth, Sora could see fangs.

"... who are you?" Sora finally asked, impatient.

"Gula," he said simply and went back to eating the treat.

There was a long pause between them, in which Sora shifted his weight from leg to leg.

"Why are you here?" Sora asked.

"'Cause," Gula said, and then paused. Sora was afraid he would stop there, but he didn't, "... I was told to come here."

"Why? By who?" Sora asked.

"To try out my new toy," Gula said. His yellow eyes fixed themselves upon the frozen treat.

"What new toy?" Sora asked curiously. He looked a little old to have toys.

"He doesn't have a name," Gula said.

This peaked Sora's curiosity. Annoyed, he decided to brush right past Gula and step out fully into the hallway.

The carpet that lined the middle of it was now a deep shade of orange. The yellow veins in the pillars were the same orange-color, as were the candles in the chandeliers. Spidery shadows danced along the walls.

But Sora's eyes were fixed on the thing down at the far end of the hallway. It appeared to be a boy, about as old as he was, albeit a little shorter. Between their distances, Sora couldn't make out much else of him.

"_That_ is my new toy," Gula stood up. He turned around and walked past Sora and further into the hallway, finishing off the treat and tossing aside the stick. "We all decided on the name of 'Puppet'. I think it fits him, don't you?" Gula asked.

"... Gula," Sora said slowly, "that's not a toy. I _know_ he's not a toy."

"Oh? How?" Gula stopped and looked at him, an air of disinterest.

"I've met him before," Sora clutched his fist, "in Castle Oblivion."

He was right. The 'puppet' had begun to walk forward. He was a boy who appeared to be fifteen years of age and some inches shorter than Sora was. He had a round face with a pointed chin and small green eyes that glinted like jewels. His white hair fell in spikes that hovered just above his shoulders. He was dressed in a black, fitted tank-top with yellow straps across the stomach, and black wristbands over both wrists. His pants were baggy blue pants held up with a yellow belt, and over sized blue and black boots. He appeared to be dressed much more simpler than Gula was, but there was no mistaking that face.

"The Riku Replica."

"Is _that_ his name?" Gula asked childishly. "I like 'Puppet' way more! Isn't that right, Puppet?" he asked the Replica.

The Riku Replica didn't say anything, but focused his eyes solely on Sora.

"Say some_thing_, Puppet," Gula whined.

"How do you know who I am?" the Riku Replica finally spoke. He directed the question at Sora. "You say we've met before. I don't remember you."

"Your memories were probably erased -," Sora began.

"Useless!" Gula suddenly cried, interrupting Sora. "I don't like _toys_ that can _speak_! I like _toys_ that can _fight_!" the last word came out almost as a hiss. He whirled around and pointed an elongated finger at Sora. "Fight _him_!"

The Replica started to obey. He held out his hand and the smoke of Darkness appeared around it, solidifying into a sword. The handle was long and wrapped in red cloth, while a blue eyeball was set into the hilt. The blade appeared to be the black and red fold of a draconic wing.

"Riku, wait -," Sora began.

In an instant, the Replica shot forward. The speed didn't compare to the real Riku's nor did it compare to Sora's, and it gave him plenty of time to jump out of the way. The Replica didn't even hesitate; he stopped and whirled around and then ran after Sora. When he got close, he swung up the Soul Eater. Sora parried it with the Kingdom Key and held it there, his arms shaking.

"Riku! Listen to me!" Sora said. "Why are you here? What happened after we last met? You said you had something to do!"

"Be quiet so I can fulfill my orders," the Replica said. He said this so calmly that if Sora hadn't seen him, he would not have guessed he was in the middle of combat.

Yet, as soon as the sentence was finished, the Replica flicked the Soul Eater upwards and the Kingdom Key out of Sora's grasp. The silver and gold Keyblade landed on the ground somewhere near Gula, who jumped out of the way like it was something disgusting and infected. Sora gasped as the Replica came after him once again. He closed the distance between them and swung the Soul Eater upwards again. Sora jumped backwards and narrowly avoided the attack.

Seeing the Keyblade near Gula (who was anxiously watching the fight), Sora immediately dashed over for him. Gula glared at him and refused to budge an inch even as Sora passed, the Riku Replica on his tail. Sora tackled the ground and picked up the Keyblade. The Replica brought down the Soul Eater and the two weapons clashed. Gula, meanwhile, jumped backwards and out of the way with surprising skill, and continued to watch from a distance.

The Riku Replica and Sora were both locked in a battle of strength. Sora gave on his strength and pushed the Keyblade against the Replica's shoulders, forcing him to step backwards. Sora jumped backwards and tried to gain distance between them. The Replica recovered quickly and was running after Sora once again. Sora aimed the Keyblade at him and shouted, "_Deep freeze_!" but not a one thing happened. Sora mentally swore and had to change position to block the next attack. He flicked the Keyblade downwards and aimed at the Replica's knees.

He jumped backwards and then darted forward again, effectively dodging the hit. The Replica lashed out with the Soul Eater, and Sora jumped backwards to dodge it. He realized he was narrowly close to the wall and a pillar, which had begun to pulsate rapidly. He turned around and ran around the pillar. Sora didn't stop until he reached the middle of the room, hearing the Replica's footsteps not too far from him. _'He's not very fast, but he's strong!'_ Sora thought. He came to a stop and whirled around with the Keyblade.

The Replica couldn't dodge it – the Keyblade dove straight into his waist. Everything from his side to three-quarters of his stomach cracked. It didn't bleed, but it _cracked_. His flesh broke away like clay, and something like Darkness came seeping out from inside of it. The Replica fell over backwards, little pieces of his flesh scattered across the floor around him. There was no sign of pain on his face, but he seemed aware that he couldn't hold his torso up properly.

Sora was utterly shocked at what he had just done. Immediately, he let go of the Keyblade and let it clatter to the floor. "I don't want to fight you anymore," he said.

"I don't know what you mean," the Replica stated.

Gula growled fiercely and pointed one hand at the Replica. A portal opened beneath him and he fell through.

"Riku!" Sora shouted and tried to catch him, but the Replica was out of sight by the time he kneeled to the ground. The portal closed up instantly. He stood up and glared at Gula. "Why did you do that!?"

Gula glared back. Sora's heart burned. Gula then took a step backwards, his eyes widening. "Your eyes ...! That spell must be working," he commented.

"What spell?" Sora demanded. His voice seemed a little louder than usual.

Gula changed the subject. "And you broke my toy!" he whined.

"He's not your toy! Do you even know where the Heartless found him?" Sora dared to ask. The last time he saw the Riku Replica was in Castle Oblivion ...

"No, but that's besides the point," Gula said, "he belongs to me. And I hate you for what you've done to him!"

Sora felt a ping of guiltiness somewhere inside of him. "But, he's not ..." he began and then stopped himself. He realized that Gula was not going to say anything but that besides the Riku Replica was his toy. "Then, tell me. What's this spell you're talking about?" Sora asked. He leaned down and scooped up the Keyblade again, and pointed it at Gula.

Gula stared at the Keyblade with a look of fear. "You should ask Ira the next time you see her," he growled, threatened. He opened a portal in the air and then hurriedly stepped through it.

"Matte!" Sora shouted and hurried after him, but the portal was already gone. Sora sighed and kicked aimlessly at the ground. Snowflakes fell from the tip of the Keyblade. Sora realized this and held it up for him to better examine. "Looks like my magic has returned," he commented.

**-xxx-**

In another part of the Clocktower, Gula and the broken Riku Replica appeared before the Mirror. Luxuria and Ira were standing there, although they didn't appear to be talking when Gula arrived.

"L-Luxuria!" Gula appeared to be on the verge of sobs. "Sora broke my puppet! Now what do I get to play with?" he cried, although no tears actually spilled down on his face.

Luxuria walked at once over to Gula, without even bothering to look at the Riku Replica. Behind them, Ira scoffed.

"We'll get that woman to fix him for you," Luxuria said as a form of comfort. She laid her arm over Gula's shoulders.

He stopped his fake-sobbing at once. "Really? You will?" he asked with a tone of disbelief, as though what she had just said he would _never_ had thought of.

Luxuria nodded, her long blue hair shaking with her nods. "Of course," she said, "but what's happened to your ice cream? I'll send Acedia to Twilight Town to get you some more, how is that?" she asked him.

Gula nodded a little, like a child who was just getting over scraping his knee. "I like ice cream ..." he said slowly.

"I also have another favor to ask of Acedia," Luxuria said. She looked over at Ira, who had a deep look of disgust on her face. "Is something the matter?" she asked, which was definitely not what she was about to say.

"You're spoiling that kid, Luxuria," Ira said, "look at him! He's nearly twenty years old and here you are, kissing ever little scrape that he gets! You better toughen up kid, because this Clocktower swallows up people like you."

Gula began to sob again. "No it doesn't!"

"Then come on, Gula," Luxuria lowered her arm and led him out of the room.

Ira glared at them and then her eyes fell on the broken Replica. "Oi! OI!" she screamed after them. "You forgot your _puppet_!" she yelled the word 'puppet' sarcastically, but neither heard that or anything else that she said. The door swung closed.

Ira sighed and put her hands on her hips, then looked down at the Riku Replica. "What am I gonna do with you, kid? Sure feel sorry for you for being stuck with brats like them."

"I need to be fixed," the Replica said plainly, "so I can fight again. Gula gave me orders to, and I lost ..."

"If you lead your whole life listening to orders, then -,"

"Ira." a new voice appeared, along with the rest of him.

"Invidia," Ira stated in a mock-tone.

Invidia looked down at the Replica. He seemed to understand what was going on, for he said, "Acedia," and another girl appeared.

"Yes, Invy?" she said eagerly.

"Take him to Suta," Invidia said.

Acedia looked down at the Replica and scowled. "Fine, fine," she pouted, grabbed the Replica half-heartedly and disappeared.

Invidia turned and looked over to Ira. "Now, Ira ..."

**-xxx-**

Sora, meanwhile, took his time in crossing the hallway. His head was down and the Keyblade dragged along the carpet. That was the shortest fight he had had in a while, so why did he feel so depressed? _'Why are they using the Riku Replica?'_ Sora wondered. _'I know he could use the power of Darkness ... and all the Heartless here do too ... is that what it is? Is it his use of the Darkness?'_

He didn't pay attention much as he came out from the stairs into the next room. Another high-ceiling room lit by orange candles in a low-hanging chandelier. The orange veins throbbed when he entered the room, throwing their color around them. A purple veil whimsically danced before the set of stairs in front of him. The numbers above the archway he passed through and the one in front of him read '0:00'. The numbers above the door to his left read '4:00'.

Sora stopped, took a deep breath before he stepped through the door.

**-xxx-**

Sora came out in a swelteringly-hot city. The buildings were tall and narrow and appeared to be made out of some sand-dusted mud-brick. The windows were gaping holes covered by tapestries. Many little shops settled out in the streets, simple wood fixtures with glittering pretties shining in the hot sun. Sand was everywhere, all across the streets and in endless bounds outside of the city. A great wall covered the whole thing, protecting it from the sandstorms that erupted in the desert that surrounded it.

Sora looked up at the sky and saw it was just a blank, cloudless blue sky with a pale sun shining down on him. He wiped his forehead as sweat began to bead on it, and took off his jacket to cool himself off. He folded it up and forced it into one of the red pockets strapped to his thighs.

Hey, that's what big pockets were for.

He almost didn't catch a cry of, "Stop that thief!", but he _did_ see something brown and furry carrying something shiny race down the street and bound upon Sora with full-force.

"Wha -? Gah!" Sora shouted as he fell.

**-xxx-**

Acedia had appeared in a different room. This one was a small, shabby little room with walls painted goldenrod and the floors tiled back. There was one bed with white covers on it and a chair next to a desk. The desk was filled with all sorts of things: Stuffed animals and creatures, some bearing pins stuck in them. All appeared to be hand-sewn by a person who had nothing better to do.

That person was busy stitching an ear onto a winged teddy bear when Acedia appeared, dragging the Riku Replica along behind her.

"Suta!" she said more loudly than necessary.

Suta set down the fixed bear with its many cousins and turned around in her seat. The woman looked down at the younger Heartless and then her eyes fell on the broken Replica. She sighed. "You have broken yourself again," she stated.

"I lost a fight," the Riku Replica said.

"Here he is!" Acedia dragged him over to Suta and then giggled. "Try not to have too much fun!" she said and then disappeared.

At once, Suta picked him up. She grunted a little and then placed him down on the small bed. "You're all broken again. I suppose I shall have to fix you again, shall I? You must place more care in this body." she said calmly.

"I met someone," the Replica said, "he said he knows me. Sora ..."

"You have forgotten all of your memories since Castle Oblivion, where I found you," Suta said, "you probably met him before. I know you've forgotten everything, such as the Nobody who created you. And the Nobody who manipulated you."

"Who ... were they?" the Replica said.

"You will meet them in time," Suta said and fell quiet. She placed her hands over the broken parts of his side and stomach and began to fit the broken pieces together again.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora's into the Tyme of Agrabah, where he's quick to be pinned with his good friend, Aladdin, as a thief. When surprising charges are brought up, Sora knows there's something wrong. After being thrown into prison, they manage to escape again, as convicts on the run, desperately trying to prove their innocence. 


	18. Desert Capture

**Act XVIII **

_**desert capture**_

"Whoa!" Sora gasped as something brown and fuzzy shot for him. He toppled over, only to discover that a small monkey was now hiding underneath his tank-top. Wearing a little purple vest and a little red hat, Sora recognized the monkey immediately as Abu.

"Abu!"

"Thief!"

Sora watched as two men dashed for him. One was a tall, lanky youth who appeared to be barely out of his teens. Quite a bit taller than Sora, with dark skin and almond-shaped black eyes. His hands and bare feet were calloused and he wore a pair of baggy white pants and a purple vest, with a red hat - that matched the monkey's – placed over his shaggy black hair.

The second was match smaller, his head wrapped up in a white turban. He wore a long, blue robe and sandles and was just as dark-skinned as the youth. Sora knew both: Aladdin, and the Peddler (whose name had never caught).

It took another look for Sora to realize something cold was being pressed against his skin. A shiny, valuable, red jewel. Abu looked sheepishly at Sora.

"Abu," Sora stood up, forcing the monkey to fall out the bottom of his shirt and land harmlessly on the ground. "Give the Peddler back that jewel!"

Abu screeched something in his monkey-language that Sora couldn't understand. Aladdin seemed to, for he said, "No more excuses! Give him back the jewel! That's _stealing_, Abu."

The Peddler marched over to Abu, not much taller than the monkey, and held out his hand. Abu shuffled around and finally handed over the gem. The Peddler examined the gem closely and then pointed an accusing finger at Abu. "There's a scratch! This will never sell! Young boy, you should have that monkey restrained from now on. He has damaged valuable things that do not belong to him!" he huffed and then walked away.

"Well ... I ..." Aladdin failed to come up with an excuse for his greedy monkey and turned to Abu, disappointed. "Abu, we've been _over_ this. I know you like shiny objects, but you can't just take them!" he said.

Abu said something that sounded a lot like 'sorry', without actually speaking the language.

"Sorry about that, Sora," Aladdin apologized. "But, hey, it's great to see you again. We were starting to worry, it's been so long since we last saw each other!" he grinned.

Sora nodded. "Aa, it has!" he said this in a falsely-cheery voice. He knew what Aladdin meant; Aladdin had forgotten that they had seen each other only a few weeks previously. Aladdin thought those weeks were a whole year.

Aladdin, Sora and Abu began to walk further into the city. There weren't very many people there, at least not out on the streets. Through the buildings, Sora could see a magnificent palace: White with golden caps, polished and cleaned to perfection. It loomed over the rest of the city and dominated it, though Sora had never actually been inside of it.

"So where've you been?" Aladdin asked as they walked.

"Here and there," Sora shrugged. "Visiting other worlds, fighting Heartless and Nobodies. You know," it was actually a mistake and a slip of the tongue, but Aladdin did know a bit about other worlds. As far as Sora knew, he had never actually left Agrabah. But when Jasmine was kidnapped by Riku -

Sora stopped thinking. Those memories pained him too much.

"So what about you?" Sora asked as he hastily changed the spotlight from him to Aladdin. "What have you been up to?"

"The same old things," Aladdin commented, "off visiting the Cave of Wonders. Genie is supposed to get back from his world-wide vacation soon."

"I see," Sora said. He had forgotten that Genie wasn't supposed to return yet – the blue-skinned Djinni had arrived on Sora's last trip. He kept spacing off those things.

"And -," Aladdin looked ahead and started to speak again, only to come to a stop. There was a red-feathered bird with a large beak flying through the streets headed straight towards them. Behind him were a bunch of men, all dressed in white and black, carrying curved swords that marked them a part of the Palace Guards.

"Al ... Aladdin!" Iago panted as he flew. "H-help!"

"Iago?" Aladdin's eyes went from the panting bird to the guards that were chasing him. Iago dove through the air and under his cap, hiding himself on Aladdin's mop of black hair. Aladdin looked back at the guards as they stopped and circled around the party of four. "Listen, guys, I know what you're thinking. Iago's not evil anymore, I think," Aladdin told them, a little less-assured when he finished.

"Gee, thanks," Iago muttered sarcastically.

"This isn't about the bird," said one of the guards, a big man with a goatee, "this is about you."

And just like that, Sora and Aladdin were staring down the tips of eight scimitars. They backed tightly together, Abu now resting on Aladdin's shoulder – stiff with fright.

"What's going on here?" Sora asked.

The guard said, "You're all wanted for murder. Murder of the _Sultan_, we know it was you. Several witnesses saw you fleeing the scene!" he eyed Aladdin.

Aladdin pushed away the scimitar, but the guards brought it right back up again. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said heavily, "I would never ..."

"He's right!" Sora said loudly. "I know Aladdin. He couldn't do a thing like that!" he said assuredly. Although, Sora had never met the Sultan and had no idea of what he was like.

"Then how do you explain the eye-witnesses?" the guard demanded. "And who are you anyways? Another comrade?"

Sora glared at him. The scene suddenly felt unreal. "_My_ name is _Sora_," he said, "and I just got here. But that's besides the point – what's so funny?" he asked, as the guards started to laugh.

"Quick to an alibi, aren't you?" the guard asked. "We can take you into interrogation and find out for the truth."

"No, you're not!" Aladdin suddenly said.

"Aladdin, what're you -?" Iago asked in shock.

As Iago spoke, Aladdin pushed away the nearest scimitars and dove underneath them, feet first. He knocked over several of the guards and they toppled over like dominoes. Seeing his lead, Sora quickly followed and scrambled beneath the guards on his hands and feet. The guards scrambled around and looked wildly for the two, only to spot them as they ran up the street.

"What do we do now!?" Sora shouted as he heard the guards call after them and start to run.

"Well, uh ... I didn't plan that far!" Aladdin called back, quite a bit further ahead than Sora. "We should probably make for the desert," he shouted breathlessly, "and figure out what just happened."

"Right!" Sora nodded and they ran through the streets as the guards bolted after them.

**-xxx-**

It took quite a while before the guards decided to let them go. In fact, Sora and Aladdin were already far into the desert by the time the spots of white and silver blades had decided to let up. By then, Agrabah was a chunk of tan against a horizon of sand. The winds were terrible and whipped around them viciously. Sand was brought every which way and that, which obscured and confused Sora. And the sun beat down on them relentlessly.

"Genie!" Aladdin had begun to shout. His voice echoed in the distance. "Genie!"

Sora looked and – he was sure it was because of the sand – but he did not see any spot of blue coming to them. All he saw was ... sand.

"Genie! Where are you!?" Aladdin continued to shout.

"Aw, let's just give it up already!" Iago squawked helplessly. "Maybe we should've given up and let them take us in!"

"No!" Aladdin said defiantly.

"We need to figure out what's going on first," Sora said. He shielded his eyes with his hand. "Like who would want to frame Aladdin, and why they would go after the Sultan first."

"Isn't it obvious?" Aladdin asked. He looked hopeless. "Everybody knows the way I feel about Princess Jasmine. Maybe they figured they could frame me easily if they went for her father," he sighed and plopped down in the sand. The wind and sand whipped his hair about his face. Only Iago kept that cap from flying off.

"Then what should we do?" Sora asked. "It's not like we could break into Agrabah again and hunt Princess Jasmine down and ask her what's going on."

A look of inspiration came to Aladdin's face. Sora blinked. "Ano, matte," Sora said quietly. "We could do it like that!" he said.

"Yeah! Sora, you're a genius!" Aladdin jumped to his feet again.

Sora grinned. Abu chirped something Sora couldn't understand, but was certain it was either an agreement or an insult. Whatever it was, Aladdin didn't notice and was already on his feet and raced for Agrabah again.

"Wha -? Wait up! Aladdin!" Sora shouted and ran after him again.

**-xxx-**

Guards were stationed all over the place. With Iago and Abu hidden, Sora and Aladdin had to sneak in around the guards and climb up over the great wall. It took quite a bit of time until Sora managed to use a Magnera spell that forced the sand – and them – higher until they could climb over it. Inside the wall, there were even more guards. There were no people out on the streets.

They dropped quietly from the inside of the wall and then hid behind a wooden cart, where all sorts of intricate things laid. They peeked out and watched the guards pace back and forth beyond them.

"Where should we go now?" Sora whispered.

"To the palace," Aladdin hissed, "Princess Jasmine _must_ be there. But if there's this many guards out here ..." he didn't need to finish. Sora understood: If there were so many guards out on the streets, he didn't want to imagine how many were actually inside the palace.

Unfortunately, they didn't really have much of a chance to get very far, as soon as the pair snuck around the side of a building, Sora heard the fateful sound of Heartless appearing. He whirled around in time to see something big and bright block their only way of retreating. A great Fat Bandit; an over sized Heartless reminiscent of a Large Body, dressed up in orange and green. It wore an open vest, green pants, and a turban wrapped around its tiny head. Behind them, more Heartless. These ones were Bandits, smaller Heartless that wore a great turban, a purple vest and baggy blue pants. The Bandits carried scimitars.

"Heartless!" Sora shouted in surprise.

He instantly regretted it, for he heard, "A noise! Some _rats_ must have snuck out into the streets!"

Sora and Aladdin forgot all about their stealth and broke into a heavy run. The Fat Bandit was too large to enter the skinny alleyways. The pair just about ran over the Bandits, most of which disappeared and reappeared in front of them. They blocked the only other route out. Sora and Aladdin quickly came to a stop.

"What now?" Aladdin asked.

"I'll take care of them!" Sora shouted, but he couldn't squeeze around Aladdin and get to the Heartless. He heard the sound of more Bandits appearing. By the time he turned around, he saw something silver and curved fly at him.

It bounced off his head and then he saw nothing.

**-xxx-**

The next thing Sora knew, he was being thrown into a shabby, underground Prison. It was small, with a high ceiling and many chains coming out of the walls. The walls were some sort of mud-brick and the ground was covered in sand.

He and Aladdin were both shoved into the Prison. A few of the guards Sora had seen during their flee to the desert came in and quickly chained them to the walls.

"You're hear to await execution," said one of the guards. "It'll be at dawn."

"What!?" screeched Iago from his cage. "Don't we get a trial?"

"Unfortunately, no," he replied and left. The wooden door swung closed and there was the sound of locks closing from the other side.

Sora groaned; his forehead seemed to throb. It was like a dull pain – pressure, almost. He couldn't really tell, but blood had begun to roll down his temple and across his eyebrow.

"What ... what happened?" Sora moaned.

"We got captured," said Aladdin. He didn't look much better than Sora; scrapes on his arms and legs, and a particularly nasty gash across his jaw. "Those ... Heartless. The guards are using the Heartless. We had no way of knowing, either."

Sora fell quiet. He frowned and kept his gaze planted firmly on the ground.

"Guess we'll just have to break out," Aladdin said this as though it was easy as that.

Both Abu and Iago gave cries of protest from inside of their cages.

"How?" Sora asked.

**-xxx-**

The two tried everything they could think of. First, they tried to pull the chains out of the walls. They walked to their chains' lengths and grabbed onto their chains. The chains bound them at their wrists and ankles, and they walked over until the chains had pulled taught. When they were at the chains' length, they turned around and grasped their wrist-chains as tightly as they could and began to pull.

Sora knew that he could have pulled on the chains harder, but for some reason, he had begun to feel rather weak. Regardless of this, the two of them pulled on their chains until their hands were roughed and calloused. When the chains had begun to pinch their skin, they had to slacken their grip and continue to adjust it. Even Iago and Abu stopped talking and watched them with high hopes, but nothing gave and the two had to give up.

They thought about picking their locks. Neither of them had anything small enough to fit into the locks. Sora tried to summon the Keyblade, but when he missed the first time and pierced a three-inch-deep hole into the wall directly left of his left ear, he decided not to try again. It was hard to hold the Keyblade with his knees, much less, aim properly.

Aladdin was about to try to slip free of the locks via cracking and relocating his joints. It sounded completely terrible to Sora, who wasn't about to try anything like that. He was certain he would have broken his wrist trying to do that.

Before anything could happen, the door opened and an attractive girl of seventeen years walked through. She was short and slender with dark skin and big, almond-shaped black eyes. Her waist-length black hair was kept back with a jeweled teal tiara and several matching bands. Great hazel earrings stuck out of the curly wisps of her hair. She was dressed in a revealing teal top with sleeves that fell over her shoulders, and baggy teal pants.

"Jasmine!" Aladdin gasped.

The door closed behind her, but Sora could still see the figures of the guards right outside of it. He was certain they were eavesdropping.

"Aladdin," she said quite coldly. Aladdin looked taken a-back. "I've heard what you've done to my father. I just came to ... to see you ..." she said this in the same tone, but there was an expression on her face that looked like she was about to cry. "I must ... I must leave now. To prepare for his funeral. All of the guards will be there." she said.

"Jasmine, wait -," Aladdin started.

Jasmine turned around and held her finger to her lips. She glanced at the door and then back over at Aladdin; she winked. She fiddled with something in her pocket and dropped a little brown bag. She kneeled down to pick it up, and when she did Sora heard her say, "I know it's a lie. My father was kidnapped and they're placing the blame on you. Please, Aladdin, find out the truth," in a very low voice.

Aladdin looked at her with a look of shock.

Iago's jaw hit the ground.

"Jasmine-hime," Sora began.

Jasmine straightened up again. "This will probably be the last time we see each other. I must go now; the guards are waiting," she looked at them knowingly, "_all_ the guards are waiting."

She headed for the exit. As she did so, something small and black and jeweled fell onto Sora's lap. The door opened and Jasmine disappeared beyond the threshold.

Sora picked up the pin and grinned. It was a black hairpin; perfect for the lock! He heard the sounds of footsteps fade farther and farther away from the hallway. When he couldn't hear them anymore, he quickly dug the hairpin into the lock. He twisted it around, clueless, until he heard a click and the cuff popped open. "Jasmine-hime is a genius! Aladdin, you're a lucky guy!" Sora beamed happily.

Aladdin blushed and grinned. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Soon, Sora had all the locks undone (his at least, Aladdin picked his own locks and was much faster at it than Sora) and the two crossed the cell to Abu and Iago's cages. Aladdin had both open in a matter of minutes and by then, Sora's heart was racing. Abu happily crawled out of the cage and settled protectively on Sora's shoulder.

When Iago's cage opened free, Aladdin said, "Okay, Iago, you're going to have to find Genie. We really need him right now, I'm sure he could tell us what is going on here. Okay?"

Iago nodded and saluted him with a wing. "I'm on it, Aladdin!" the bird said and flew off through the window.

**-xxx-**

Some time had passed since they were last out on the streets, and yet the sun was just as bright as ever. Feeling slightly awkward as he walked, Sora followed Aladdin quickly. With a well-aimed Fire spell, followed with a Blizzard spell, it was easy for them to break through the bars in the window. Aladdin, then Sora with Abu, slipped out of the window.

And what luck! Jasmine was right; there was not a guard in sight. Unfortunately, there were Heartless in their place.

"Oh, man! I forgot about the Heartless!" Aladdin said.

"I've got 'em," Sora said and aimed his Keyblade at the Heartless. "_Stop_!" he called and at once – the Heartless froze. They didn't move. They didn't twitch. They didn't breathe.

"How did you do that?" Aladdin asked.

"Something I picked up," Sora said off-handedly and the trio quietly snuck off into the city.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora and Aladdin head for the Cave of Wonders, but a quick ride from Carpet lands them in the Desert Ruins. They find Iago captive and at the mercy of the Heartless, but the pair are quick to defeat them. Within the Ruins, Iago tells them disturbing news about their target. 


	19. Devil's Incarnate

**Act XIX **

_**devil's incarnate**_

The three now stood in a shabby little house. It reminded Sora a little more of an apartment. It was small and fixed with only one room and little furniture inside. There were great holes in the dusky walls that served as windows or escape routes (knowing Aladdin, one could never be too sure – Sora knew he was kind, but he wasn't very popular with the guards) that held a view of the Main Street. Some rugs covered the floor and a dresser and miscellaneous items were shoved up against one wall.

Aladdin immediately went to search through the various objects.

Sora simply stood there, glancing around and feeling uncomfortable. "Er ... Aladdin? What are we looking for?" he asked.

"Carpet," Aladdin said plainly.

Sora understood at once: The magical carpet Aladdin had found right before they met. Which meant ... they were probably going out into the desert. Sora nodded and began to help Aladdin search the small place.

It wasn't very long before they came up with nothing. Aladdin frowned. "I'm certain Carpet was here!"

"Maybe he sensed the danger and flew off already," Sora suggested.

"No," Aladdin shook his head, "he would've come for me first unless it was really important. Guess that means that we're going out by ourselves!"

"Where are we going?" Sora asked.

"To the Cave of Wonders," Aladdin said off-handedly, "where else?"

**-xxx-**

It was easier breaking out of Agrabah than breaking in, which was a surprise to Sora. The Stop spell that he knew would wear off easily, Donald was so much better than Sora was when it came to magic. He didn't want to waste his magic again, but a well-placed Aero spell solved that. His defensive spell came down in the center of the town and created a whirlwind of sand that served as a great distraction. The Heartless scattered for the caster, and through the chaos, Sora, Aladdin and Abu dashed through the chaos.

The trio made it out of Agrabah without much hassle until they made it over the wall. They realized that there were more guards stationed out front of Agrabah, and Sora knew they hadn't been there before. This time, Aladdin threw Abu out. "You just got to do this for me, okay?" Aladdin had told him.

Abu screeched something in protest. Aladdin ignored him and threw him out in front of the guards.

Immediately, the guards recognized Abu and pointed at him in surprise. "It's the monkey from earlier! How did he escape from the prison?"

"Who cares?" shouted the second one. "After him!"

Abu scampered back and forth and then lured them back inside the walls. When they were out of sight, Sora and Aladdin dashed out into the desert. In Agrabah, Abu dashed back and forth until he could pull the turbans of the guards down over the guards' faces, and then disappeared into the wild desert.

He didn't talk to Aladdin again during their trek across the desert.

**-xxx-**

Sora never fully realized just how lucky they were to have Carpet until they didn't. The pale sun beat down on them mercilessly, making him feel hot and stuffy. He started to feel tired, but he wasn't quite sure why. No matter how bad the heat was, he was able to continue to walk without any difficulties. Other than the sand.

The sand itself seemed to go on _forever_. Random sand storms would pop up and disappear just as fast as they had come. The wind never died down and whipped sand about them at all times. It got to the point where Sora took his jacket out of his pocket again and threw it over his head, to shield his eyes from the sun and the sand. Abu was quiet, who had yet to forgive Aladdin for what he had done, and Aladdin lead the way. Now that they were walking, Sora had to wonder; if Aladdin found Carpet in the Cave of Wonders, just how did he get there in the first place?

The answer was obvious: He walked.

And walked. And walked.

Sora grumbled along to himself as he stumbled behind Aladdin, but he kept most of his complaints to himself. He was just about to suggest that they take a break when a patch of shadow overran his features. Sora looked up in an expression of relief, although the shadow was hardly cooler than the rest of it. He looked around and realized there were no trees.

Aladdin hadn't noticed and continued to leave him behind.

"Nani?" Sora looked back and forth and then up: A rectangular shape was blocking the sunlight. It was long and slender with many ornate designs in the colors of purple, red and blue. It was rimmed in gold with golden tassels that dangled down on its corners. There was a giant tear around its center. "Carpet!" Sora exclaimed.

Aladdin stopped and turned around. He grinned when he saw Carpet. "Carpet!" he shouted and ran back.

Carpet lowered itself down to the ground and stood up on its bottom two tassels like feet. The wind blew through the tear in its center.

"What happened to you?" Aladdin asked. "Why are you torn?"

"This wasn't there before?" Sora asked, unsure of what to expect in the hologram.

Aladdin shook his head. "No."

Carpet began to dance around in its spot. It jerked its top two tassels towards areas at their horizon – one a black spot, and another they couldn't make out - until it got so excited that it jumped off the ground and hovered there before them.

Aladdin glanced at the spot. "Then you _were_ at the Cave of Wonders!" he exclaimed.

Carpet nodded – or rather, it lifted and lowered – and then jerked itself towards the other area they couldn't see.

"And you want us to go with you?" Aladdin asked.

He received the same response.

Sora gratefully climbed up onto Carpet and was closely followed by Abu. Aladdin stared at the spot, presumably the Cave of Wonders, before he followed their suit. As soon as they got on, Carpet took off and soared for their horizon.

**-xxx-**

The wind that their speed created was a great relief. The sand that came at them even faster was not. But Sora quickly got over this by shielding his face with his hand. His jacket had gone back into his pocket.

"Where do you think we're going?" Sora shouted between his fingers.

Aladdin shrugged. Abu sat behind him, using Aladdin as a shield against the wind and sands. "We'll find out when we get there," Aladdin told him, mimicking Sora's gestures.

"Aa," Sora nodded and lowered his face. He toyed a bit with Carpet's torn strings and tried to think of what might have happened to the enchanted rug. _'Maybe it was held underneath something? Too bad we can't fix it though,'_ he thought.

They figured out soon enough where Carpet had taken them: Ruins. Buried deep into the sand in an area that sunk lower than the rest of the desert. Parts of mud-brick buildings stood jaggedly out of the depths of the sand. They were chipped and torn with age and wear. Aside from the sunken city, there was a great cliff that hid a brick tower – it looked newer than the rest of the ruins. The sand poured down around its depths, and only one archway showed as an entrance.

As soon as they soared over the ruins, bursts of Darkness opened before them. Either shocked or reacting towards Sora's battle instincts, the Carpet came to a halt. Little creatures showed themselves: Three dart-like Rapid Thrusters and a handful of Hook Bats. The Hook Bat Heartless weren't much bigger than the Rapid Thrusters; they had small black bodies and wide wings, with a red hook replacing what would have been their legs. The Heartless emblem showed brightly on their stomachs.

"The Heartless!?" Aladdin exclaimed.

Abu screeched something identical to what Aladdin had just said.

"Already on 'em!" Sora shouted and jumped to his feet. "Let's ... _strike raid_!" he shouted and flung the Keyblade forth. The Kingdom Key went spinning through the air, destroying a handful of the Hook Bats and Rapid Thrusters. The three remaining Heartless dove forward and avoided the Kingdom Key, while simultaneously attacking Carpet.

Carpet dropped down suddenly that caught all three off-guard. Sora gasped and the three clung to Carpet, but Sora was busy looking for the Kingdom Key. "My Keyblade!" he shouted and finally spotted it: Stuck in the crumbling wall of a half-sunken building. "There! Carpet, go!" he ordered.

Obediently, Carpet zoomed off towards the building with speed that Sora had forgotten. The three Heartless chased after them as they went. Abu clung to the back of Aladdin's vest, who had an iron grip on Carpet. Sora didn't notice and held his hand out when they got close to the building. His fingers grazed the guard of the Keyblade as they swooped past and he missed the Keyblade. "Carpet! Go back!" Sora shouted.

Carpet seemed to see something that Sora didn't and flipped over completely. "Whoa!" all three screamed as they flipped over with Carpet. Their hands and claws dug into the cloth and Sora watched, through the tear in its center, as the Heartless shot past not even seconds later. His heart pounded but Sora breathed a sigh of relief. Carpet flipped over again and the three landed safely on top.

The enchanted rug turned around and flew back for the building. This time, Sora grabbed the Keyblade successfully. He jumped up on his feet and spun around. Aladdin gasped in surprise when Sora shouted, "_Deep freeze_!" and released a wave of icicles.

Aladdin and Abu dropped down to Carpet, but the icicles flew overhead and pierced the three Heartless. They shivered and vanished into puffs of black smoke. It left them with temporary peace.

Sora sighed and plopped down. "Way to go, Carpet," he said with a grin.

Carpet flew straight on towards the great tower.

"How long do you think it will be before the Heartless come back?" Aladdin asked. He cast a look over his shoulder as he spoke.

"Not very long," Sora shrugged. "The Heartless aren't very smart. They'll come back faster if they sense an easy meal."

Carpet soared into the brick tower and through its archway. Inside it was dank and, not surprisingly, filled with rubble. Rocks and boulders and broken pieces of the tower had build up around its entrances. The stairs that led further inside were broken into unsteady pieces. As soon as they entered, Sora knew that he heard voices – one very recognizable.

"You don't wanna eat me! I'm skin and bones! And all feathers! Look at this, _all_ feathers. That won't taste good, I know it! Waah!" the yelling ended with a squawk and a loud _thud!_

"Iago!" Aladdin exclaimed.

Abu ran on ahead of them, ignoring their protests as he went. A second later, there was a screech, and Abu came running back towards them.

He was closely followed by two Fortunetellers, great Heartless that stood on crystal balls. They had small, humanoid figures about three feet tall, with black skin and pale yellow eyes. They wore purple and black baggy pants and a blue tank-top, with a purple veil that covered their heads and faces. Great golden bangles dangled from their wrists. Both stood atop a glowing, white crystal ball.

Aladdin and Sora both jumped between Abu and the Fortunetellers. The two Heartless came to a stop (Iago began to yell in the background, "Aladdin! Sora! Is that you!? Will somebody _help me_!"). They floated in the air and their eyes searched for an easy target. One swirled its crystal ball around itself and then summoned Blizzaga-magic.

Sora and Aladdin dove out of the way – Abu scurried to find a place to hide.

Sora recovered first in time for second Fortuneteller to begin to summon its ice magic. It lifted its thin arms over its head and Sora realized what was about to happen. He dove out of the way again as the Heartless summoned all of its magic, then froze the air where he once stood. "_Fire_!" Sora shouted and pointed his Keyblade at the Fortuneteller. The fireball hit it square in the chest; it began to shiver and then shrunk away into a puff of Darkness.

The remaining Fortuneteller turned its gaze onto Abu, which it had apparently deemed the weakest. Aladdin saw what was about to happen and seized a small, fist-sized rock. "Hey! Over here!" he shouted and hurled the rock at the Fortuneteller. The rock smashed against the side of its head, throwing it off balance. Abu gave a cheer.

"Gotcha!" Sora shouted as he ran closer. He swiped upwards with the Keyblade and split the Fortuneteller's body in two. It shivered just like the first, and then burst into a cloud of Darkness.

"Iago!" Aladdin shouted and was already running up the broken stairs by the time Sora recovered.

Sora quickly followed Aladdin up the stairs and into a wide room. It was broken and dry, with sand flitting through the cracks in its walls. There was a switch that had already been pulled on the opposite wall ahead of them. A small cage contained their red-feathered friend.

"Sora! Aladdin!" Iago said joyfully. "You don't know how happy I am to see you!"

"What happened?" Aladdin asked as he kneeled down in front of the cage.

Iago wrapped his feathers around the bars. "It was terrible. I looked _everywhere_ for Genie and couldn't find him anywhere! I just happened to look in the Cave of Wonders and saw Black Magic inside. I'm certain I heard Genie and the Sultan inside, but what freaks me out more is the voice. I _knew_ it!" he clamped his feathers over the sides of his head. "Jafar just won't die. No matter what you do to him!"

Aladdin and Sora exchanged surprised looks.

"Jafar ...?" Aladdin repeated.

**-xxx-**

The next place Carpet took them was over to the Cave of Wonders, led on by Iago's explanation. With a bit of help from the Kingdom Key, Iago was free in no time, and the four were off again. There were Heartless all around the ruins by the time they left, but Carpet weaved in and around them without leaving so much as a scratch. Sora merely devoted his magic towards Reflect spells, and by the time they got out of the ruins, his magic was almost completely drained.

The Cave of Wonders was a depressing place. Even though it was mid-day, the skies above it were dark and cloudy. They clashed and roared frequently with the sounds and sights of thunder and lightning, respectively. The sand went from a hot golden color to a cool, almost black shade. The part of the desert was hidden from the rest of the sands via jagged, black rocks that stuck out of the ground.

The cave itself didn't look anything like an ordinary cave, but rather, it appeared to be the great stone head of a panther. It had a feline quality to it with small, rounded ears. Its whiskers stuck wide out from the sides of its face and its eyes were blank and white, contrasting the rest of the stone. A wide, red mouth served as a fanged entrance to the rest of the cave.

They flew in on Carpet. There were just as many Heartless in the Cave of Wonders as inside the ruins. Fat Bandits and Bandits roamed everywhere, while Fortunetellers and Hook Bats flew through the air. The Carpet evaded them all and seemed bent on flying further inside the Cave of Wonders.

It bore a high, black ceiling and a ground that was the sharp color of red. Bricks and platforms were placed everywhere, with low, steeping tunnels and narrow ledges that stood high above endless pits. There were all sorts of Heartless everywhere, but Sora could not defend against their attacks any longer – he had to conserve his magic. By then, he wished he had brought along some Ethers.

He couldn't have anyways, they ran out shortly before his final battle with Xemnas a couple weeks prior.

Soon, they came across a low tunnel that led them into a greatly-filled room. It was long and carpeted in red, with torches that burned brightly. Gold was piled up everywhere, with many sparkling jewels and treasure boxes.

Abu's eyes widened. Iago's beak fell.

Sora's eyes fell upon a tiny little chest that he recognized immediately – the key! But first, he knew their business wasn't finished yet, so he didn't reach for the treasure box.

Carpet finally let the group down inside of the Treasure Room. Abu and Iago immediately went searching for the greatest jewel that they could find. Sora shivered; despite the fire set into the walls, it was cold there. Aladdin searched for something through the piles of gold.

"What're you looking for?" Sora asked.

Aladdin didn't answer until he came up with a gold scimitar, the hilt encrusted with many shining jewels. "A weapon," Aladdin said, "to take on whatever's in there."

While Iago and Abu searched through the treasure, Sora and Aladdin neared the second archway, where it revealed a great room inside.

The floor was rocky and the light seemed to come from magic, for Sora could not see any sconces from his position. Pools of water had seeped into the small craters in the ground, and there were three platforms that lifted high off the ground. Behind the platform directly opposite of them, there were chains. A tiny, round figure in white and a great figure of blue immediately drew his eye to the area.

Aladdin must've seen the expression on his face, because he reached out and clasped a hand over Sora's mouth before he could say anything. "Shhh," Aladdin shushed him.

A voice had started to speak inside, but Sora couldn't see the speaker. "... have already seen the power that I hold in this form. But it isn't enough! I shall need a human body if I'm going to rule Agrabah," the voice said.

"But -," the blue figure began.

"Silence!" came the voice again. "I will not tolerate your disobedience! Those guards already believe that foolhardy street rat has slain the Sultan, there will be no one here to stop me if I make that lie come true."

The white figure began to quiver. "I won't stand for this! I won't let you take over Agrabah!" he said.

"Quiet, you!" there was a flash of light and the figure fell quiet. "Now, Genie, do we have a deal?" the voice asked.

The blue figure, Genie, gave an audible sigh. He hadn't noticed Sora or Aladdin yet. "I have no choice. I'm sorry, Sultan," he said and aimed a finger at something Sora couldn't see.

There was a flash of magic and light. When Sora opened his eyes again, he saw that a lanky, humanoid figure had appeared at the back platform. A figure dressed all in red, bearing a snake-like staff.

Sora and Aladdin looked at each other and then jumped out towards the middle of the room. "Jafar!" Aladdin shouted.

"Your threats end here!" Sora shouted.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora and Aladdin take on Jafar in a two-on-one fight. Being imprisoned inside a lamp hadn't dampered Jafar's skills at all, but the pair still manage to overpower him. In retaliation, Jafar transforms into a giant, crimson Djinni. Without his lamp, Sora finds the fight a little more difficult then he remembered. 


	20. Scream of Avarice

**Act XX **

_**scream of avarice**_

There was a flash of magic and light. When Sora opened his eyes again, he saw that a lanky, humanoid figure had appeared at the back platform. A figure dressed all in red, bearing a snake-like staff.

Sora and Aladdin looked at each other and then jumped out towards the middle of the room. "Jafar!" Aladdin shouted.

"Your threats end here!" Sora shouted.

The man turned around and faced them. Jafar was a tall, thin man with an elongated face and a thin, black goatee. His dark eyes were half-lidded and sunken into his dark features. He wore a long, dark red robe with black sleeves, and a red cloak thrown over that. On his head was a large, black turban rimmed in gold with a single red feather sticking straight up in the center. He held a staff in one hand, one nearly as tall as he, with the top carved into the idol of a snake.

"Ah, the street rats," he said.

"How can you still be alive!?" Aladdin shouted.

"There are many laws to being a Djinni," Jafar replied smoothly, "many of which you wouldn't understand."

Sora ran closer and gazed at the blue and white figures that were chained to the wall behind Jafar. "Genie! And ... are you the Sultan?" he asked, as he had never met the Sultan before.

"Oh, my boy!" the plump white figure cried. "Run! Run away while you can, or you will be caught just like us!" he shouted.

"No chance," Jafar said and waved the snake-like staff. At once, a rock jumped to life and rose out of the ground. It blocked the only archway that served as an excuse. It was so thick that, if Abu and Iago had noticed, they couldn't be heard.

"I hope you're ready, Aladdin," Sora said. He raised the Kingdom Key and brought it out before him.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Aladdin replied.

Jafar waved the staff again and pointed it down at the ground between them. A ray of red magic shot out and burned a hole into the ground. Sora and Aladdin jumped to separate ways and then ran forward to the platform. More rays were sent their way over and over again, each time Sora and Aladdin had to jump or halt to avoid them. Jafar's frustration began to show on his face and whenever he would missed, Genie would shout, "Way to go, Al!" or, "Were you aiming to _miss_, Jafar?"

When the pair got close, they jumped up and grabbed onto the platform. Jafar stepped back in surprise and then went about trying to crush their fingers. Sora gasped and had to release one hand, and dangle by his other. The Keyblade was held by the key chain in his mouth. Aladdin jumped up while Sora struggled to avoid Jafar. With the golden scimitar in hand, he ran forward and aimed a well-placed hit to Jafar's back. The former vizier defended with a spell that blocked Aladdin's attack.

Aladdin gasped in surprise when the scimitar rang off the spell. Jafar turned around. "Nice try, street rat," he sneered and raised the staff. With a flick of the wrist, he pushed the staff into Aladdin's gut and sent the black-haired youth tumbling backwards.

"Al!" Genie cried out and struggled against his restraints.

Sora quickly pulled himself up and grabbed the Keyblade out of his mouth. "Gotcha!" he shouted and swung the Keyblade. Jafar was hit in the side, Sora felt it make contact. The tall man tumbled away and grasped onto the wound – one where there was no blood or tears. Jafar wasn't a Heartless, he was only being hit with a blunt object, so there would be no tears or burns like there was with the Heartless.

Jafar recovered quickly and flicked the staff at Sora. He dodged the attack, but a small ray was sent his way. Sora quickly jumped backwards, missed the ledge, and slipped down over the edge. He grabbed out onto the edge and tried to hold himself up. "Sora!" Aladdin shouted from behind Jafar. Aladdin jumped to his feet again and ran forward. His attack merely bounced off Jafar's reflective spell, but the former vizier turned around and faced Aladdin regardless of the miss.

Jafar summoned his magic again and fired another laser at Aladdin. The laser forced him to back away, while Sora climbed up onto the platform once again. Then, without thinking, Sora dashed forward. Rather than attack, Sora jumped up and clung to Jafar's neck and shoulders. Jafar bent over backwards in surprise and the laser immediately disappeared. Aladdin quickly recovered and raced forward again. The scimitar ran through the air and slashed deep into Jafar's side.

Blood splattered everywhere. Jafar cried out in pain. Blood ran down his side and through a tear in his robes. It easily mixed with the natural dark red of his robes. Jafar quickly shook Sora off and doubled over in pain. Aladdin looked both stunned and surprised; blood dripped from the golden edge of the scimitar.

"You ... you ..." Jafar growled in pain. He stepped backwards and missed the ledge.

"Jafar!" both Sora and Aladdin shouted as the thin man fell over the edge.

A second later, the wounded Jafar flew up through the air. A bubble of magic surrounded him. It was nearly invisible, save for the light it reflected from the torches that were set high into the walls – those sources of light that Sora could not see before. Jafar was still bent over double with one long hand placed over the wound. The snake-like staff had fallen from his grasp and lay useless on the ground.

"Things are about to get bad in here," Genie said with a worried look.

"No matter!" Sora said bravely. "We can take him!"

As soon as he finished that statement, the spell of dizziness was cast over him, just like his ventures through the Tyme of Beast's Castle. Sora stumbled forward and placed one hand to his forehead. His eyes suddenly felt weary, his lids heavy and all that he wanted to do was sleep. He bent over forward, oblivious to all that happened around him. He could faintly hear Aladdin call, "Sora! Sora!" but his voice seemed so far away ...

And just like that, Sora was back again. He felt an alert, productive feeling jump back to his face and he frowned. He straightened up and realized that magic from all over was called into Jafar's hands. The wound and the unseen bruise seemed to heal, but the blood remained. Jafar's form began to twist and shake, until he was no longer a thin man, but an overwhelming Djinni.

His legs disappeared into that of a wispy red tail; his arms and chest bulged and his clothes vanished. His dark eyes became yellow and without a pupil or iris. His hair was captured in a black ponytail at the top of his head. His skin turned red and golden earrings pierced his pointed red ears. Jafar's form tripled in size, he took up a good deal of the cavern.

"He transformed," Sora said.

"Back into a Djinni," Aladdin braced himself.

"Don't worry!" Genie shouted. "You can do it! I know you can!"

The Jafar-Djinni turned to them and laughed; his voice was loud and echoed all around them like thunder. "You little street rats can do nothing!" he shouted.

And with that, he swung his fist high. Sora almost didn't react in time; Aladdin grabbed him by the back of his tank-top and pulled him from the platform. The two tumbled down onto the ground, while a massive red fist slammed into the platform. Genie and the Sultan both shouted in surprise, but the fist had missed them – they were chained to the wall.

Sora recovered quickly and then brought up the Keyblade. "I can handle it!" he said and hurled the Keyblade with full force. It swung through the air powerfully and when it hit Jafar it -

Bounced off his skin. And fell to the ground like a toothpick.

"No use," Aladdin said.

Sora's blue eyes widened. "Iie!" he said in surprise.

Jafar turned to the two and laughed. His voice hurt their ears. "You can't hope to destroy me with something so small!" and then he suddenly stopped laughing. His eyes seemed to fix on something Sora couldn't determine. He swatted the air with one large hand. "Away from there! Both of you!" he cried.

Sora and Aladdin dropped to the ground. They were forced to run away from the platform as the Jafar-Djinni flew after them. Genie called the shots from behind them, "He's behind you! Move!"

Obediently, the jumped out of the way and missed the punch that landed on the ground. They didn't miss the shock wave that flew through the ground and sent both tumbling over. The two looked up and saw Jafar recovering from the attack and then quickly began to run again. They ran around the second platform while Jafar reared back for another attack. "_Thunder_!" he shouted and bolts of a powerful Thundaga spell reached down from the ceiling. It tackled the ground where Sora and Aladdin had been only moments before.

"Stop moving!" Jafar growled when his spell missed them.

Sora and Aladdin ignored him and continued to run. "We've got to do something fast!" Sora called to Aladdin. _'Man, this is hard! At least with all the other battles I could keep up, but if I don't do something fast – he'll crush me!'_ he thought with a frown.

Before he knew it, the two had circled all the way around the cavern and were back at the center, now broken, platform. The staff lay discarded on the ground, not too far. Genie seemed to have convinced the Sultan to join him, because both cheered every time they dodged an attack. "_Fire_!" Jafar shouted and released a wave of fireballs. They crashed into the rocky walls and caused them to shake nervously. Large chunks of rock fell at contact.

Sora, who still tried to conserve his magic, didn't bother with a defensive spell and both ducked out of the way. Genie's cheers grew louder. Jafar was growing more and more frustrated each time he missed and finally, called out a spell that Sora knew very well. Lightning-like chains shot out of the air and grabbed Sora's wrists and ankles. They held him up in the air and forced his arms and legs apart.

"Sora!" Aladdin called.

Sora grunted and tried to free himself. He wriggled back and forth, while Jafar chuckled at his accomplishment. Jafar brought up his fist and tightened it behind him. With full force, he thrust his fist out – there was a flash of light that forced Sora to shut his eyes. Something metallic slid into his hand and then forced his arm outwards. The Keyblade clashed with the fist that was much bigger than itself. Sora felt the tremors go all the way up to his elbows.

Jafar let out a shriek of surprise as he was repelled. Sora opened his eyes in shock at what had just happened, and the spell let him go. "Whoa!" he shouted as he fell.

There was a loud _thud!_ and Sora landed on something hard. Something that was Aladdin's back as he found out a moment later. There was a grunt and a sickening crunching noise that closely followed his shout. Aladdin groaned and Sora quickly got off him. "Ow ... what ...?" Aladdin rolled over to find bits of wood pressed into his chest harmlessly.

The staff. It had been broken into three pieces from Sora's fall. As soon as they realized what had happened, Jafar began to cry out in terror. "What ... what's happening ...!?" he yelled. The light from his wrists began to glow, and then another light burst from inside of him. It reflected through his eyes and mouth as he opened both wide in terror. An expression of contorted pain overwhelmed him and the light grew so bright that Sora couldn't look at any longer, and shielded his eyes.

Jafar's body shrunk until it was nothing more than a black vapor. His cries continued to echo from within the vapor as the rock that blocked the exit shrunk back into the ground. As it did, Iago and Abu fell into the room. The vapor shrunk and fled out through the exit way. At the same time, the chains that bound Genie and the Sultan disappeared. Both fell harmlessly down onto the platform.

Carpet zoomed in as soon as the entire cavern began to quake. "We gotta go!" Sora said.

"C'mon, Your Majesty, I do believe it is time for us to leave!" Genie said quite happily and quickly scooped the Sultan up.

Sora and Aladdin climbed onto Carpet, closely followed by Iago and Abu. The two groups shot out of the room just as large chunks of rock – broken by Jafar's spell – began to fall.

**-xxx-**

Rocks threatened to crush the group on Carpet and carried by Genie. And they did crush the Heartless that lurked beneath. Puffs of black smoke soon enveloped the entire inside of the Cave of Wonders. As they passed through the Treasure Room, Sora bent down and scooped up the tiny treasure box he had seen earlier. It was no small feat, but there was a grin of accomplishment on his features when he sat up again.

When they shot out of its wide open mouth and looked back, they saw the Cave of Wonders toss its head back. Black smoke of destroyed Heartless poured from its mouth and it began to shrink back underground. Sand enveloped its head and they saw no more of the cave.

Sora sighed in relief and settled back on Carpet, careful of the tear in its center. He examined the treasure chest carefully.

"What's that?" Aladdin asked.

"Something," Sora replied and tucked it into the pocket of his tank-top.

**-xxx-**

They returned to Agrabah a short while later. They were immediately met by the guards at the front gate, but Genie flew forward importantly.

Now, Genie was not small at all. He was very large, with a blue wispy tale and a big torso. His skin was completely blue and his eyes were a friendly black. When he drew himself up to his full height, he towered over the guards. They missed the friendly grin on his face and shrank back in terror.

Genie let down the Sultan. The Sultan was much smaller than Genie was: He went up to about Sora's waist. He was a short, round fellow with a cheerful face despite the terror he had been put through. He wore baggy white pants and curled shoes. His shirt and light jacket were white and rimmed with gold, and a yellow sash about his bulging belly. He wore a floppy white turban with a jewel settled in the center, and had a long white beard that went down to his waist.

As soon as they saw the much smaller Sultan, the guards jumped to attention.

"Your Majesty!" the guards said.

"How come they aren't shocked that the Sultan came back from the dead?" Sora asked, even though he knew the Sultan was never dead to begin with.

"Because I told them so," Princess Jasmine suddenly emerged from within the guards and walked forward.

"My daughter!" the Sultan cried out in joy.

"Father!" Jasmine smiled and they hugged each other. The Sultan was so small that she had to bend down in order to hug him properly. "I just knew you were alright!" she said happily.

They parted and Jasmine looked at the weather-beaten group. "I told the guards shortly after you left that Father was never dead," she said, "they were quick to listen to me when they realized no one had ever found a body."

"And I'm so glad they did!" the Sultan said happily. "I think it will be a long time before I decide on another vizier again, don't you think, Jasmine?"

Genie grinned. "I'm so glad when things tie together like this!"

The Carpet lowered itself and the four got off.

"And of course, thank you, all of you!" Princess Jasmine said.

Sora scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "It was nothing, really!" he said modestly. "What do you think became of Jafar?" he asked.

Genie shrugged. "Beats me," he said.

Abu and Iago exchanged looks and mimicked his gesture.

"Djinni's are mysterious!" the Sultan said. "Since they are believe to be a myth, we probably won't know for sure."

"Yeah," Genie commented, "he probably last all of his powers as a Djinni when we got rid of that lamp and had to return to his normal status as wicked-vizier-guy-with-a-funny-goatee. The overwhelming sin of avarice for the power he had a Djinni was probably his only drive to continue living and – _once again_ – try to take over Agrabah," he said all of this in one breath, as though it were common sense. "It takes a lot to kill a Djinni you know! But his plan wouldn't have worked anyways. There's too many heroes willing to save it," he beamed.

"And we will start to work on locating and capturing Jafar," the Sultan said, "but what of you all? I believe that rewards are in order!"

Iago and Abu bore identical, greedy expressions, but Aladdin looked at Jasmine and said, "I don't think I need anything, so long as I'm with Jasmine."

She smiled. Aladdin blushed. The smaller creatures looked disheartened.

When the Sultan turned to Sora, Sora said sheepishly, "That's alright! I think I'm alright! But I _do_ have an idea ..." and cast a look over at Carpet.

**-xxx-**

Some time later, Carpet flew out from inside the Palace with a flourish. The rip in its center had been fixed expertly, and now the Carpet flew as a whole piece. It landed down beside the group, that now stood before the palace in its courtyard.

"Fixing this Carpet, clearing Aladdin's name, my, you live up to your legend!" the Sultan beamed at Sora.

Sora grinned. "I'll be coming here a lot, so I guess I shouldn't make enemies!"

"Aw, but really, Sora! Thank you!" Genie said happily. "I've never been so eager to fly again. Jafar snatched me before I could show Al all the great stuff I got on my world-wide travels."

He disappeared in a puff of blue-violet smoke and reappeared a moment later. He now wore a pair of thick sunglasses, a Hawaiian-print t-shirt, sandles and carried an assortment of things: A surf board, a snow globe, many Postcards, and a bobble-head dog.

"That sure is a lot of stuff, glad you're happy," Sora said.

"So when will you come back again?" Aladdin asked. "You're not going to disappear for a whole year again, are you?"

Sora's smile faltered. He felt so at home in Agrabah that he had completely forgotten it was just a hologram inside of the Clocktower.

"I'll come back soon," Sora said. "Next time, I'll bring my friends. And Donald and Goofy, too! So you can meet all of my friends, too."

Aladdin nodded. "Sounds like a deal!" he said.

Sora turned away and walked towards the palace gate. When he reached it, he opened up the treasure chest and pulled out a tiny, golden key. He held it up to get a clear view of it in the sun. "Ja!" he called down to the group.

They waved back as best they could; Carpet waved a tassel, Iago waved a wing.

"Bye!"

"Come back soon!"

"I'll aim for a time between arch-villains, how's that?" Sora called to them.

"Then hurry back!" Aladdin called back.

Sora grinned and stuck the key into the door. A Keyhole appeared around it, and the door swung open. To the group, it was just another deserted street of Agrabah. For Sora, it was a white door decorated in orange and white. He waved to the group and disappeared beyond the door.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sora advances to the next floor, where he is met by the lazy, child-Heartless Acedia and her enormous pet, Malice. But Acedia's laziness is much more cooperative than any other Heartless Sora has met, and he manages to get a few answers out of her while she drifts off to sleep. She quickly snaps back to alertness and starts a fight before Sora can get anymore information out of her, but she soon learns that her short answers were enough for a wretched punishment by the Heartless' leader. 


End file.
